# Using Tablets to Teach Basic Literacy Skills to Kindergarten Students: A Case Study
## 2 Background  
### Very Young Students and Emergent Literacy Skills  
As mentioned in the \"Introduction\", early literacy encompasses the reading and writing knowledge and skills that young children acquire before attaining conventional literacy, forming the basis for advanced literacy abilities [14]. It comprises foundational skills such as oral language, letter recognition, phonological awareness (the ability to identify, hear, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words), alphabet knowledge, and understanding print concepts like text directionality [15], all essential for children's development. Importantly, early literacy extends beyond mere reading and writing; it also involves cultivating a positive attitude toward literacy and learning. Early literacy skills equip young children for reading and writing and are crucial for establishing a base for formal education, bridging the gap between emergent and conventional literacy. As such, this phase is generally relevant to preschool and early primary school years. In terms of reading, children progress through several stages of development: the emergent reader, the beginning reader, the fledgling reader, the transitional reader, the fluent reader, and the independent reader [16]. Early emergent readers are individuals who are not yet reading and possess minimal knowledge of the alphabet. These learners are typically in pre-kindergarten to mid-kindergarten and can recognize fewer than half of the alphabet. Emergent readers exhibit limited to no proficiency in recognizing high-frequency words and struggle with text tracking, accompanied by a lack of phonological awareness. As these children enhance their understanding of the alphabet and begin to develop phonological awareness, understanding of print concepts, the ability of tracking print, and the ability to recognize high-frequency words, they transition into the emergent reader category [4; 16]. Once they have achieved mastery in letter recognition, phonological awareness, and print concepts, and are progressing towards greater comprehension skills, they are classified as beginning readers. Due to individual developmental differences, a kindergarten class may consist of early emergent readers up to beginning readers. Early literacy skills serve as indicators of future success in reading and writing. In fact, empirical research demonstrated that early proficiency in these areas is a strong predictor of subsequent reading success and overall literacy achievement [4; 6]. For instance, researchers pointed out that fundamental skills essential for learning to read, like phonological awareness, develop early in life and are indicative of future reading outcomes [17]. Researchers also emphasized the strong basis for oral language, print concepts, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge as predictors of early literacy success [4]. Phonological awareness, in particular, was highlighted in the literature as a significant predictor of future reading success, making it an essential focus area for educators [17]. Furthermore, phonological awareness (and automatized naming) were identified as moderate predictors of conventional literacy outcomes [18]. The authors also demonstrated that there is a significant correlation between the reading skills developed in preschool or kindergarten and subsequent reading achievements. The ability to recognize letters is a strong indicator of kindergarten year-end accomplishment [3]. Moreover, the proficiency in reading and writing by first grade can often be predicted by the quantity of alphabet letters students learned in kindergarten [19]. Several studies have concentrated on determining which emergent literacy skill best predicts future literacy success. Phonological awareness and written language awareness have been identified as particularly crucial components in models of identification and early intervention [14].