The Frequency of Informational Text Read-Alouds in Kindergarten and its Association with Students’ Vocabulary and Knowledge Development

Abstract

While informational texts have been shown to enhance vocabulary and content knowledge, most prior research indicates that early childhood teachers seldom read such texts to their students. This study offers an updated perspective on the frequency of informational text use during read-aloud sessions by kindergarten teachers. These teachers work in a large urban U.S. district committed to building content knowledge through read-alouds during ELA instruction. Over the course of a semester, 38 teachers completed 174 reading logs, covering 310 titles, which yielded three key findings: the average proportion of informational text read-alouds was higher than reported in previous studies, there was considerable variation among teachers in how often they used informational texts for read-alouds, and informational texts related to social studies and math were read aloud less frequently than those focused on science concepts. Furthermore, the study examined the relation between the frequency of informational text read-alouds and kindergarten students’ gains in vocabulary and content knowledge over one academic year. The results indicated that the frequency of informational text read-alouds did not significantly correlate with students’ vocabulary and knowledge gains, suggesting that the current instructional practices during these read-alouds may not be sufficient to effectively support students’ learning in these areas.