Even Start Family Literacy Program parents' attitudes toward education, perceptions of child literacy development, and child-oriented literacy activities
Date
2000-08
Authors
Parker, Ursula
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Abstract
For young children who come from a family background where low literacy and under-education prevail, there exists a need for research to examine parental attitudes toward education, perceptions of early childhood literacy development, and the literacy activities parents engage in with their children.
This study was designed to examine parental attitudes toward education and perceptions of early childhood literacy development in an Even Start Family Literacy Program. This study also documented the literacy activities parents engage in with their children.
The instrumentation used to collect the data were an attitudinal inventory, parental interviews, home literacy inventory, home literacy engagement form, and observations. The data analysis consisted of emerging themes and patterns to develop naturalistic generalizations.
The results indicate that Even Start Family Literacy Program parents have positive attitudes toward education and that their attitudes are shaped by prior educational experiences. Parental perceptions of early childhood literacy development findings indicate parents are aware that their children are learning and how they are learning. Although parents are unfamiliar with Piaget's specific stages of development, parents are supporting and encouraging their children's emergent literacy behaviors. Reading is the
most reported literacy activity parents are engaging in with their children. Parents are also participating in literacy activities that they are unaware promote literacy development. Such activities include cooking, grocery shopping, and pretend play.
Description
Keywords
family literacy programs, parents, education, literacy
Citation
Parker, U. A. (2000). Even Start Family Literacy Program parents' attitudes toward education, perceptions of child literacy development, and child-oriented literacy activities (Unpublished thesis). Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.