The Transformative Power of Concepts of Print: Connecting Theory, Practice, and Professional Development to Advance Early Literacy

Authors

Cheryl R. Couch, University of Nebraska OmahaFollow

Abstract

Abstract Many kindergarten students continue to enter school below literacy readiness benchmarks, notably lacking Concepts of Print skills despite decades of research affirming their role as predictors of later reading achievement (Economic Policy Institute, 2015; Justice & Ezell, 2001; Justice & Sofka, 2010; National Survey of Children’s Health, 2022). Concepts of Print provide the foundation for children’s understanding of how print works, laying the groundwork for decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (Lentsch, 2018; Moats, 2023a; National Research Council, 2000). This mixed-methods historical reflective report examines explicit Concepts of Print instruction through two cases: archival records from a 2003–2004 kindergarten classroom where students progressed from 6% to 96% proficiency on a district’s assessment, and contemporary data from the Nebraska Early Literacy Workshop (2024–2025), involving 356 Nebraska educators. Archival lesson plans, instructional artifacts, and assessment records were analyzed alongside paired pre- and post-surveys measuring teacher self-efficacy in literacy knowledge and skills (n=356) and thematic analysis of 170 open-ended post-survey responses. Findings demonstrate that systematic, embedded Concepts of Print instruction, through print-reference read-alouds, environmental print, multisensory routines, and literacy projects, is associated with substantial student literacy gains and significant increases in teacher self-efficacy (average gain = 0.91) (Hattie, 2010; Lindsey, 2022; Moats, 2023a). Workshop participants reported shifts from assuming print knowledge to treating Concepts of Print as a distinct, teachable domain. These results support positioning Concepts of Print as a distinct, teachable domain. These results support positioning Concepts of Print as a foundational prerequisite to the Five Pillars of Reading Instruction with recommendations for science of reading professional learning and classroom practices that prioritize explicit instruction, particularly for multilingual learners and children with limited or no preschool experience to support equitable reading development (Castles et al., 2018; Dehaene, 2009; Nebraska Early Childhood State Report, 2024). Keywords: early literacy, concepts of print, teacher self-efficacy, professional learning, professional development, science of reading

Recommended Citation

Couch, Cheryl R. (2026) "The Transformative Power of Concepts of Print: Connecting Theory, Practice, and Professional Development to Advance Early Literacy," Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ctlle/vol11/iss1/6