Factors involved in the literacy of children before formal education

Abstract

The present paper investigates children who know how to read and write before elementary school. The objective is to identify and to analyse common aspects between children who acquire reading and writing before their classmates. For this, in a universe of 83 students, 11 were found with this profile, only 13,25%. Possible external and internal factors envolved in this precocity are described and analised here. They are: the acquaintance of the children with reading in family and in school; phonological awareness; and phonological immediate memory. The results are described, analysed and compared in a qualitative and quantitative way, to show common aspects between the students envolved and to indicate some ways to stimulate phonological awareness and phonological memory before elementary school. This research intends to confirm the importance, for the children, of living in a rich reading and writing surrounding.