Abstract
Inequalities on child cognitive outcomes exist as children enter the first grade. These differences are even wider for children in low-income families. This article aims to examine the extent to which home factors account for variation in early literacy outcomes in the first year of schooling. A total of 72 first graders and their parents from low-income families in Lusaka, Zambia, participated in the study. A self-reported home literacy questionnaire was used to collect home literacy data − parental education, home possessions, reading materials, language awareness, print experience, writing activities, reading activities and teaching letters. Children’s early literacy skills were assessed using four measures: orthography awareness, spelling, vocabulary and math tests. These tests were measured at two points: at the beginning and at the end of the first grade. Results showed that teaching letters was most predictive of literacy outcomes both at the beginning and end of the first year. The study concludes that formal teaching of letters at home is the parents’ greatest strength for supporting literacy in low-income families. Thus, energies for parental involvement should be directed in ways that are culturally practised and manageable by parents for better literacy outcomes.
Highlights
Quality education is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for achievement by 2030
These data were collected by the support of the reading support for Zambian children (RESUZ) project in which 42 public schools were randomly selected to participate
This article focuses on the family context the home literacy environment and how it accounts for differential achievements in early literacy
Summary
Quality education is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for achievement by 2030. The challenges of low literacy rates are widely recognised to be greatest in sub-Saharan Africa where both access and quality remain critical problems (Ngwaru 2014). The region has the highest proportion of out-of-school children, the greatest gender disparities, the highest ratio of pupils to teachers and the lowest primary completion rates in the world (UNESCO 2008). It is acknowledged world over that parents are the first teachers for children, making their interactions and learning provisions imperative to the achievement of the SDGs. Envisioning a literate sub-Saharan Africa means realisation of the middle-class status by 2025. Envisioning a literate sub-Saharan Africa means realisation of the middle-class status by 2025 This vision starts with focus on the acquisition of literacy skills
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