Intervention study on literacy skills and interest in reading (LuKiVa)

In 2026, the City of Helsinki will conduct research in early childhood education and pre-primary education locations on ways to support the literacy skills and interest in reading of 5- and 6-year-olds through the use of dialogic reading method and increasing the amount of reading.

The LuKiVa intervention study on literacy skills and interest in reading, which will be launched in winter 2025–2026, will involve early childhood education and primary education locations in Helsinki that receive needs-based funding. The purpose of this additional funding is to level out differences between early childhood education and primary education locations within the city.

Early childhood education and primary education facilities have been randomly divided into pilot and control locations. At the control locations, 5- to 6-year-old children will participate in teacher-led reading sessions applying the dialogue method twice a week. These reading sessions offer children a space to ask questions, think and share their own ideas, while strengthening their literacy skills and interest in reading. Outside these sessions, the children are read to in a more informal setting. In control locations, children's literacy skills are supported in the usual way.

In the study, children will participate in evaluations in January and May 2026. These evaluations include information on literacy skills from testing the child, as well as the teacher’s evaluation of the child. The children will do the literacy tasks one-on-one with the teacher, and the tasks will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

The study will explore how applying a dialogic reading method during reading sessions and increasing the amount of reading to children promotes children's literacy skills and interest in reading. The reading practices of the groups of children will also be reviewed.