Final Semester Test Assignment

A FUN LITERACY STIMULATION IN ORDER TO HELP THE TRANSITION OF

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TO PRIMARY EDUCATION

Theory of Early Childhood Studies Course

Supervisor/advisor:

Ali Formen, [Link], [Link], Ph.D.

Dr. SS. DHEWANTI HANDAYANI, [Link].

by:
Sri Wiji Handayani
0108520023

STUDY PROGRAM
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
POSTGRADUATE UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SEMARANG
2020
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Nowadays, people often discuss about literacy in early childhood education.

Literacy is a general term that refers to a set of individual abilities and skills in reading,
writing, speaking, calculating, and solving problems on certain skills that needed in daily life
([Link]). Its shows that there is something that cannot be negotiated which is
literacy cannot be separated from language skills. This ability is important for every
individual even from early age. A good literacy skills will be beneficial for the life of each
individual or child. When this ability is well developed in early childhood, it’s automatically
will help them to their development tasks to primary education.

There is still a lot of controversy about reading and writing activities taught in
early childhood. But we have to know that children is basically has their own agency. Every
child should be given a free space to show their abilities, including the ability on reading and
writing. The prohibition for children to learn how to read and write has become a structural
determinant that made learning to read and write seems like an improper thing to be carried
out in an early childhood learning environment. By holding the principles of implementing
early childhood education, stimulation of reading and writing literacy should be done.

The reality that occurs in the society is that although there are many opinions that reading and
writing is prohibited from being given in kindergarten, parents are still worried when this
ability is not mastered by their children. The steps taken by the parents are to enrol their
children in ‘Calistung’ course before they enter elementary school or during their second
level of kindergarten. It is done in order to prepare their children to enter elementary school
education. Let us remember that early childhood education is a coaching effort aimed to the
children from their birth to the six years old which is carried out by providing educational
stimuli to help the growth and development of their physical and spiritual so that children
have readiness for undergoing further education (UU Sisdiknas 2003: 1 no 14).

Actually it is not the activity of reading and writing that wrong if it’s done by early
childhood. What meant here is how the form of stimulation is, so that this ability develops
properly. Because stimulation is something that must be done in developing early childhood,
so that it can develops optimally. In the following discussion, we will discuss more about
literacy stimulation in reading and writing skills. The stimulation of reading and writing is
one of the activities that can be done from an early age.

One of the developmental tasks that must be well prepared is literacy for reading. On the way
to set it up, it must be done properly. So at the reading stage that starts with fantasy stage
until the ‘independent reader’, the reader should go through the correct stimulation.

One of the principles in early childhood is that the learning process must be fun, it is in
accordance with the 2013 PAUD curriculum. Therefore, the following discussion will discuss
about how fun literacy stimulation can helps the transition of early childhood education to
primary education.

B. Research Problem

Based on the background of the study, the following research problem can be
formulated as follows

How stimulating fun literacy to help the transition of early childhood education to
primary education?

C. Objective of the study

The objective of this study is to describe the fun stimulation of literacy as a transition
of early childhood education to primary education?
 CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL STUDIES AND DISCUSSION

A. The Prohibition to Learn about Reading and Writing that Limits Early
Childhood Agency

According to Dhieni, etc(2006) in H. Filtri and S. M. Efastri: 2019) "Language

is one of the fundamental factors that distinguishes humans from animals. Language as a
gift from the Creator enables individuals to live together with other people, help solve a
problem, and take place for themselves as cultured beings”. According to Tarigan (in R.
Rumidjan, etc: 2017) language skills include 4 aspects, they are listening, speaking,
reading, and writing. The indicators of developmental achievement contained in the
2013P PAUD curriculum children aged 6- <9 months have reached the book / picture
shown, at the age of 9- <12 months the child holds a picture book, at the age of 12- <18
months they begin to show their interest when a book story was read out, at the age of 18
months-2 they like to be read the same book over and over, 2-3 years they opening a book
page, at the age of 3-4 years old they show behaviour that seems like they reading a book,
at the age of 4-5 years old they tell the picture included in the book, at the age of 5-6
years old they show a book-reading behaviour towards books they have known.

Based on the theory presented above, let us examine again that children as humans have been
gifted with language skills that can be developed according to their development stage. The
stage of reading development has started to appear since the age of 6 months. When six
months the child begins to hold the book shown. The stimulation started by showing that this
book can be done, so this should continue for 9 to 12 months. At the age of 9-12 months, the
level of achievement of language development begins to show their liking for picture books,
then 12-18 months of age begin to show interest when reading story books. The ability to
listen to stories from what is heard, this shows a high sense of igin to know about a book /
writing contained in the book. In the next period, of course, the stimulus still continues with
the process when at the age of 18 months-2 years the children are happy if they ask to be read
the same book, they like to want to repeat listening to the stories they heard. At the next stage
(2-3 years) they already want to open the book itself, as if he is reading a book. This indicates
the ability to read books as well as other people who read books to him, indicating the
existence of child agency that we must understand. The development process continues at the
age of 4-5 years the child is able to tell the pictures in the book and the happy behavior of
reading books that they recognize is shown at the age of 5-6 years.

The ability of children to literate begins at the age of 6 months. Since the age of 6 months,
stimulation can be done. The view of the prohibition on learning to read should have begun to
be reduced. Some good stimulation has also been found that 4 year olds can read fluently.
Not only skilled at reading, but how children also enjoy doing it. After reviewing the theory
of child development above, if there is still a prohibition on learning to read and write, then it
ultimately does not recognize agency to children.

Next are the stages of reading development in general

Cochrane Efal as quoted by Brewer ([Link]) explained that there are

at least five stages of children's reading development.

First, a magical stage or fantasy stage. At this stage, the child will turn the book into a fun toy
medium. Children use books to play with their friends, look, turn the pages of books, also
carry their favorite books here and there.

Second, the self concept stage or the stage of forming self-concepts. At this stage the child
has begun to engage in reading activities by pretending to read books and understand images
based on the experiences gained. From here the child will also use language that is not in
accordance with the writing in the book.

Third, the bridging reading stage or the stage of reading images. At this stage children begin
to grow awareness of writing in books and find words that have been encountered before,
children also begin to recognize the letters of the alphabet.

Fourth, take off the reader stage or the reading recognition stage. At this stage the child
begins to be interested in reading, can remember writing in a certain context, tries to
recognize signs in the environment, and reads various signs, for example: billboards, milk
boxes, traffic signs, and others.

Fifth, the independent reader stage or the fluent reading stage. At this stage the child can read
writing fluently without assistance from the closest person. Even children are also able to
understand and think critically about the results of their reading experience.

These five stages certainly need to be known together, especially parents and teachers so
that someday children become good readers. Not only good at reading books, but also able to
read about the phenomena that occur around them so that from the results of their reading
experience they are able to change the situation around them. For the better, of course.