Effects of STAD-Based Activities on University Students’ Early Literacy Instructional Knowledge and Motivational Beliefs

Early literacy instruction plays an important role in children’s later literacy development, and supporting university students’ understanding of how to teach these skills is therefore essential. This study examined the effects of Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD)-based activities using illustrated storybooks on university students’ early literacy instructional knowledge and motivational beliefs. A pre-test–post-test quasi-experimental design with a control group was used. The study was conducted during the 2021–2022 spring semester in the Children’s Literature and Media course at a state university in Türkiye. The participants were 61 university students (29 experimental, 32 control) enrolled in a child development program. The results showed that the experimental group achieved higher post-test scores on the Early Literacy Skills Achievement Test than the control group, indicating that the STAD-based intervention improved students’ understanding of early literacy instruction through illustrated storybooks. However, no significant differences were found in motivational beliefs between the groups. Overall, the findings suggest that structured cooperative learning activities supported by storybooks can enhance university students’ instructional understanding of early literacy, although their motivational impact may be limited.