What does "emergent literacy" refer to?

Emergent literacy refers to the foundational skills and knowledge that children acquire in the early stages of development prior to engaging in conventional reading and writing. This includes a range of skills such as recognizing letters and sounds, understanding the concept of print, and developing vocabulary. During the emergent literacy phase, children begin to understand how books work, the purpose of reading, and may even start to experiment with writing. This foundation is crucial because it sets the stage for more advanced literacy skills that will be developed as they grow older.

In this context, the other options are not correct because they focus on skills and practices that are part of later stages of reading development. Advanced academic reading and reading complex texts require a level of proficiency that goes beyond the emergent stage, while fluency in reading aloud is a skill that develops after one has achieved basic reading ability.