Literacy Environments of Preschool Education Classrooms in Turkey: The Case of Muğla

Abstract

This study examined the quality of the literacy environments of 17 public preschool classrooms in Muğla, Turkey through detailed observations using the OMLIT-CLOC, an inventory of classroom literacy resources that identifies and rates 11 aspects of the literacy environment on a scale from 1 (low) to 3 (high). The results indicated the literacy environments of preschool classrooms in Muğla–including print displays, books, writing and reading areas and listening materials – to be of low-to-moderate quality. Based on the findings of this study, other ways of improving preschool education classrooms can be pinpointed, such as enriching the book genres accessible to children, providing more supplementary print material in the classroom and integrating literacy materials, toys and props into other classroom learning centers.