Exploring parental perspectives and engagement in shared reading with digital books: A comparison of urban and rural Chinese families during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This research explored parental perspectives and engagement in the home literacy environment amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a theoretical framework integrating Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model and Bourdieu's Theory of Capital, the study conducted a case-study analysis involving eight parents, with reflexive thematic analysis applied to their interview data. The findings affirmed existing urban-rural literacy disparities while also shedding light on similar disparities in parental cultural capital. Further, the study revealed a more intricate reality of the Chinese home literacy environment, depicted as a multifaceted mosaic shaped by economic reforms, sociocultural shifts, and cross-generational influences. The evidence demonstrates that the formation and expression of cultural capital by individual parents are profoundly influenced by their socio-cultural contexts, leading to diverse home literacy practice. This suggests that the home literacy experience is intricately linked with various layers of socio-cultural contexts, revealing a dynamic and interconnected framework rather than a static or isolated view. This dynamic nature challenges the conventional notion propagated by large-scale quantitative projects, which tend to portray rural areas as inherently disadvantaged compared to urban areas. Instead, this study suggests that the home literacy environment holds the possibility to be conceptualized beyond simplistic urban-rural dichotomies, resisting an understanding of their relationship as comparable entities evaluated by quantifiable data. Therefore, this research underscores the importance of adopting ecologically comprehensive and culturally responsive approaches in promoting the Chinese home literacy environment. Furthermore, it calls for in-depth qualitative research to capture the vast and diverse facets of Chinese families, aiming not for conclusive definitions but rather for the exploration of alternative narratives that run parallel to each other.