Parental Perspectives on Storybook Reading in Indian Home Contexts

Pooja Pandith,Sunila John,Monica L Bellon-Harn,Vinaya Manchaiah

doi:10.1007/s10643-020-01147-0

Pooja Pandith, Sunila John + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01147-0

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Abstract

The benefits of parent–child storybook reading experiences in the home are well documented. However, there is a dearth of information regarding parent–child storybook reading experiences in Indian home contexts. This study investigated parental perspectives towards storybook reading in the Indian context among 100 parents of typically developing preschool children. In this questionnaire-based study, parental responses were collected and the patterns of reading exposure, child’s interest in reading, storybook reading practices, and attitudes & beliefs towards storybook reading were reported using descriptive statistics. Correlation between demographic variables (i.e., child’s age and socioeconomic status) and storybook reading domains were explored. The majority of parents initiated storybook reading with their children at 2 years of age or older. Parents read to their children one to two times per week for 10 min and had fewer than 10 books in the home. Parents reported that their children were interested in storybook reading and reported the use of quality storybook reading practices. Homes characterized with higher socioeconomic status included more quality home literacy environment factors, although socioeconomic status did not correlate with the parental beliefs and attitudes towards reading. Results provide preliminary information regarding parental perspectives on storybook reading in Indian home contexts and point toward socioeconomic and sociocultural variation in home literacy environments. Understanding more about the parental interactions surrounding storybook reading will facilitate the development of parent programs to enhance and promote quality home literacy environment in Indian home contexts.

Highlights

Robust findings indicate that the home literacy environment (HLE) is associated with the acquisition of language and literacy across sociocultural contexts (e.g., Bus et al 2000; Mol et al 2008)
The findings of this study provide preliminary information regarding HLE in Indian homes
Findings point toward socioeconomic and sociocultural variation. Indian parents in this sample initiated storybook reading to their children after 2 years of age than parents from other contexts, wherein reading was initiated even before 1 year of age

Summary

Introduction

Robust findings indicate that the home literacy environment (HLE) is associated with the acquisition of language and literacy across sociocultural contexts (e.g., Bus et al 2000; Mol et al 2008). The HLE refers to the literacy resources and activities advanced by family members and parent attitudes and beliefs about literacy (Niklas et al 2020). HLE factors such as children’s age and frequency of exposure to storybook reading are important predictors of children’s language and literacy development If parents have positive reading attitudes and beliefs, they will be more likely to engage in storybook reading activities (Bingham 2007; Sénéchal and LeFevre 2002). Facilitative parents, as opposed to conventional, play a dynamic role in educating children at home with a literacy enriching environment. The more self-efficacy parents have in their role facilitating their children’s literacy, the

Results

Discussion

Conclusion