Abstract of

What's in a Name? Children's Name Writing and Literacy Acquisition

Janet W. Bloodgood

Literacy development among a group of preschool and kindergarten children was examined through changes in the form, function, and perception of their written names. Sixty-seven 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, their teachers, instructional aides, and six case-study parents participated in a yearlong qualitative and quantitative study. Literacy skills were assessed in the fall and spring; instructional methods, classroom interactions, and student writing efforts were observed. Preschool and kindergarten teachers and instructional aides as well as the parents of six case-study children responded to interviews and participated in informal discussions of children's early literacy growth. Analysis of assessments and writing samples indicates a substantial role for name in early literacy. Name recognition correlates with age (.86) for 3-year-olds, while name production correlates with alphabet knowledge (.55 to .77), word recognition (.49 to .62), and concept of word (.39 to .66) for 4- and 5-year-olds. Name letters represent approximately 40 percent of children's random-letter written characters. Reciprocal relationships among the children's literacy skills were evident. Automaticity in name writing paralleled control of the alphabet, recognition of several sight words, and emerging tracking ability. Name has the instructional potential to help children connect literacy strands in a meaningful way.

Abstract from Bloodgood, J.W. (1999). What's in a Name? Children's Name Writing and Literacy Acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(3), 342–367. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.34.3.5