Family Literacy Programs Research Articles

Changing the home literacy environment through participation in family literacy programmes

This paper presents findings from a study of family literacy provision in England and focuses on the effects of family literacy programmes on the home literacy environment. The fieldwork took place between September 2013 and December 2014 and involved 27 school-based programmes for pupils aged between 5 and 7, and their parents. The study used mixed methods, which involved observations of family literary sessions, a quantitative pre- and post-survey of 118 parents, and pre- and post-telephone qualitative interviews with a sub-sample of 24 parents. Building on previous theoretical work, the study conceptualises the home literacy environment into four areas (family resources; parental literacy behaviours and attitudes; parental beliefs and understandings; and family literacy activities and practices). The paper develops understandings of how parents translate and implement messages from family literacy into the home setting, and it shows how participation in these programmes leads to changes in family literacies across all four areas identified.

Family Literacy Programs: Where Have They Come from and Where Are They Going?

Family literacy programs in North America and the United Kingdom have enjoyed widespread public and political support. Thousands of initiatives following a variety of models currently operate under the spectrum of family literacy programs. In edthis paper, the influence of learning theories, the research on children’s early literacy development, and the sociopolitical context with gave rise to the intervention movement, will be reviewed with respect to their impact on current models of family literacy programs. The research on program evaluation is also considered, and is related to current practice and future directions in family literacy programming.

Escribiendo Juntos: Toward a Collaborative Model of Multiliterate Family Literacy in English Only and Anti-immigrant Contexts

This article describes an after-school family literacy program as a model of multiliterate collaboration under and against English Only and anti-immigrant conditions. The model reveals how state politics surrounding language, ethnicity, and citizenship may interact with the activity systems of family literacy programs to redefine what counts as sanctioned language and literacy learning within school spaces. This article details the findings of a qualitative study and includes the goals and curriculum of the program, as well as the recruiting mechanisms, participants, participant feedback, and participant experiences. Findings from the study reveal the role of parental investment in language and literacy learning, language co-construction, and honoring of all languages, cultures, and experiences. This family literacy model contributes to literacy studies by offering possibilities for future school-sponsored, multiliterate family literacy research collaborations to draw from and extend the language and literacy practices and funds of knowledge of ELL students, parents, teachers, and literacy scholars working within English Only and anti-immigrant contexts.

Expanding Notions of Digital Access: Parents' Negotiation of School-Based Technology Initiatives in New Immigrant Communities

ABSTRACTInitiatives to integrate technology in schools are continuously increasing, with efforts to bridge the “homework gap” and provide technology access in low-income households. However, it is critical to include nondominant parents in technology adoption decisions in order to avoid mirroring past patterns of inequality in home-school relationships. This study examines the digital access, use, and beliefs of Spanish-dominant immigrant parents, whose children attended a school in early stages of 1:1 (one laptop, one child) and BYOD (bring-your-own-device) initiatives. Informed by critical and ecological approaches to family literacy and technology use, the analysis compares the cases of eight parents attending technology workshops facilitated by the researcher and looks at the factors and contexts shaping their digital access and use and their shifts in access over two years. The analysis then narrows down to their beliefs about the use of school-provided devices. Findings illustrate the diversity in device use and customization in families with similar immigration trajectories, showing how economic factors, education, and established livelihoods in the community shaped their decisions to obtain devices and Internet connectivity. Cases also show the crucial role of the school in providing computers and technology training; however, decisions about taking school devices home and supervising children's activity were shaped by parents' beliefs about their roles supporting their children's moral education, and their existing family practices. Implications for family literacy programs and outreach for digital equity in new migration settings are discussed.

Six-year-olds' perception of home literacy environment and its influence on children's literacy enjoyment, frequency, and early literacy skills

Home literacy environment (HLE) makes an important contribution to children's reading acquisition in early years. Even though some research on children's perception exists, children's reports about HLE have been neglected. The present study focuses on N = 281 six-year-old's reports about HLE and its influences on literacy enjoyment, frequency, and early literacy skills. Parents' educational background was expected to predict children-perceived HLE. A positive impact of active HLE on literacy enjoyment and frequency were found. HLE also mediates the relation between parents' background and enjoyment. The importance of children's perspective on HLE regarding family literacy programs is discussed.

Linking Literacy and Community Development: A Case Study of Women in New Orleans

This paper examines the impact of a family literacy program in New Orleans , developed in response to lowliteracy levels, high drop-out rates, and a corresponding lack of resident participation in communitydevelopment efforts in the area. The program, Toyota Families for Learning (TFFL), worked to transcenddisciplinary barriers by linking adult literacy education and community development through a communitybasedapproach to adult literacy. TFFL continuously evolved to serve as a catalyst for transformation in thelives of the women it served, their families, and their communities. The experiences of the women in thisstudy were explored in relation to the following indicators of community building: (1) developing the abilityto express personal experiences and observed phenomena, (2) constructing one's own knowledge, (3) settingand following through on goals, (4) building a positive community environment, and (5) developing a visionof the community. Qualitative data in the form of literacy narratives informed this inquiry. The narrativeswere triangulated with field notes and focus group data collected over a six-year period commencing in1992. The findings of this research indicate that literacy programs can be structured to successfully build thecapacity of participants to engage in community development processes.

Family Literacy Programs in Qatar: Teachers’ and Parents’ Perceptions and Practices

The importance of the role of the family in the development of children’s early literacy has been widely recognized. Therefore, schools have frequently attempted to establish programs that help families promote their children’s literacy learning. This study explored early childhood teachers’ and parents’ perceptions about family literacy programs in which they got involved. It also examined practices used by teachers and parents to promote children’s literacy learning as well as to support the role of the family in the development of literacy. The sample included all teachers and parents who participated in the family literacy programs in two independent preschool settings in Qatar. A total of 16 teachers and 156 parents completed the self-reported questionnaires. Moreover, interviews with 10 teachers and 20 parents were conducted. Results indicated that teachers’ and parents’ perceptions and practices of family involvement programs were ranged from high to fairly moderate. A strong positive correlation was found between parents’ perceptions of family literacy programs and their practices, while teachers’ perceptions were not correlated with their practices. In light of the study findings, implications for expanding family literacy programs are described.

Literacy in the twenty-first century: children, families and policy

ABSTRACTFamily literacy refers to parents and their children using literacy together at home. They participate in literacy experiences in a natural way during their daily routines. Studies on family literacy show its impact on the children’s literacy development. For more than five decades, family literacy studies have demonstrated the importance of the parents’ involvement in promoting their children’s acquisition of literacy. Language and literacy theories have been generated based on family literacy research. Evidence supports that family literacy programmes are effective in the children’s literacy development. Studies were reviewed to examine how family literacy affects the young children’s literacy development. They showed that the children’s acquisition of literacy depends on a variety of strategies for working with families that are appropriate for the home environment. This review describes the (1) role of the federal government in promoting the families’ education, (2) implementation of parent education programmes in early childhood education, (3) US policies for family literacy, (4) family literacy programmes, and (5) family literacy intervention programmes.

Family Literacy: A Critical Inquiry–Based Approach to English Language Acquisition

In this theoretical article, the author explores the perceptions that drive the development of family literacy programs aimed at preparing limited‐English‐proficiency (LEP) families for schools in the United States. Examining English language learning with regard to power dynamics within a society and culture, the article considers the spectrum of approaches to family literacy ranging from efficiency‐driven deficit models to more holistic community‐ and family‐centered models. The author argues that a critical inquiry‐based approach to family literacy programs, based on Freirean principles of problem posing, can better serve LEP populations in their transitions into U.S. school systems. The article examines three inquiry‐based family literacy programs through the lens of a critical problem‐posing framework and ends with suggestions for program development and future research.

The role of type of activity in parent–child interactions within a family literacy programme: comparing prompting boards and shared reading

ABSTRACTTo examine what kinds of parent–child interactions are elicited by different literacy-related activities, an exploratory study was conducted with 19 mother–child dyads. Although prompting boards are widely incorporated in pre- and primary school curricula, and in various family literacy programmes, scientific knowledge supporting their use is lacking. Within the context of the Dutch family literacy programme ‘Early Education at Home’ [Dutch Youth Institute. (2012). Early education at home. http://www.nji.nl/nl/Producten-en-diensten/Methodieken-en-instrumenten/VVE-Thuis-(3-6-jaar)], we compared levels of abstraction in parent–child interactions during prompting boards to an activity that has been researched extensively: shared reading. Our results show that children’s contributions to the interactions are significantly larger during prompting board activities than during shared reading. Utterances of a higher level of abstraction were generally more prevalent during shared reading. However, we also found that mother’s inference making utterances – the highest level of abstraction – were more characteristic of prompting board discussions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Implementation quality of family literacy programmes: a review of literature

Raising the literacy levels of young children is a major concern in many countries for which various programmes have been suggested. One of these is family literacy programmes. In previous meta‐analyses wide variability in effects has been found and it has been suggested that this is partly caused by variability in implementation quality. This review aims to look at the implementation quality of family literacy programmes and its relationship with programme effectiveness. A search in relevant databases resulted in 46 studies. We found substantial, but variable information on implementation quality. Almost all studies provided information on parents’ quantitative engagement in programmes, but fewer studies reported about characteristics of parent training, quality of engagement and transfer to daily life. Overall, the included studies that did provide information showed frequent use of intervention strategies and degree of participation was generally high. Parents increased their use of the learned techniques and engaged in more literacy activities outside programme time. However, few of the included studies analysed the relationship between implementation quality and programme effects and these studies provided mixed results, making it difficult to draw conclusions. Of critical note is the poor quality of the selected studies. Many had serious methodological flaws. Some of the measures used are not necessarily reliable indicators of implementation quality and results were at times presented with little precision. More robust evaluations of the effects of implementation quality are therefore needed.

Social and Emotional Learning with Families

<p>A Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework was used in this study to gather and analyze the perceptions of mothers involved in a critical family literacy program designed to foster social and emotional development. Through narrative inquiry, participants discussed perceptions of their children’s social-emotional development and the expanded use of existing parenting tools. Even though parents are primary agents of change, the cultural backgrounds of families has too often been a missing ingredient in both the curriculum development and participation phases of and social and emotional learning within school-based programs. Family engagement programs are particularly important for Latino parents who are recent immigrants, as they have the additional burden of contending with such stressors in school settings as race, language barriers, and stereotypes afflicting educators. All participants in this study had existing knowledge in the area of emotional development and were able to discuss the value of self-care and self-regulation with respect to parenting their children. This research contributes to studies in the fields of family engagement and popular education pedagogy besides providing the reader with an examination of the implications of effective socio-emotional curriculum in elementary school settings.</p>

Context and Implications Document for: Implementation quality of family literacy programmes: a review of literature

This guide accompanies the following article: S. De la Rie, R.C.M. Van Steensel & A.J.S. Van Gelderen, Implementation quality of family literacy programmes: a review of literature, Review of Education, DOI:10.1002/rev3.3081

Community-Based Family Literacy Program: Comparing Different Durations and Family Characteristics

The current study investigated the influence of the community-based family literacy program on parent’s and children’s engagement in family reading practices and language/literacy activities at home. Parent’s and children’s engagement in family reading practices and language/literacy activities based on different family characteristics and the lengths of program attended were compared. Six-week and four-week Family Storyteller Program for Preschoolers series were taught between 2013 and 2015. Three hundred seventy-five parents completed both presurveys and postsurveys. Parents showed promising results in enhancing parents’ and child’s engagement in family reading practices and language/literacy activities at home after participating in the intervention. It was also found that durations of the program and family characteristics were correlated to different outcomes.

Family literacy and unit standards: can they work together?

Straddling conventional education system boundaries between adult learners and children, and between employment-related and social benefits, family literacy programmes are not well recognised or supported in New Zealand's policy and funding environment. In this article, I reflect on my personal experience of redesigning the Whānau Ara Mua intergenerational family literacy programme to deliver standardised qualifications and use unit standards for assessment. A lack of unit standards supporting important family learning areas, and standards that are too prescriptive in content, scope, level or assessment conditions to fit well with family literacy and learning, resulted in learning content becoming less relevant to learners and their families. This is of particular concern as Māori concepts of literacy place a whānau approach, whānau literacy and whānau wellbeing at the heart of literacy work. My investigation led to the conclusion that development of whānau-focused unit standards would both support family literacy programmes and facilitate broader take-up of family literacy elements within adult literacy work. This would give substance to government support for Māori literacy aspirations, while also supporting wider policy objectives around reaching priority tertiary learners and improving education outcomes for children.

Family literacy programmes and young children’s language and literacy development: paying attention to families’ home language

ABSTRACTIn this article, we review the literature on the impact of family literacy programmes on young children’s language and literacy learning. After defining family literacy, we present a brief historical overview of family literacy programmes, including persistent questions regarding their effectiveness with respect to young children’s language and literacy learning and their propensity to promote the dominant language (e.g. English) while ignoring the benefits of bilingualism and of families’ home language maintenance. Meta-analyses reveal that family literacy programmes have a positive effect on young children’s language and learning development and studies of bilingual family literacy programmes indicate that they are effective in significantly increasing children’s early literacy knowledge in the dominant or mainstream language and in promoting home language maintenance. This finding lends empirical support for bilingual family literacy programmes and the concept of additive bilingualism. We conclude by suggesting implications for practice and for future research.

Digital storytelling in adult education and family literacy: a case study from rural Ireland

ABSTRACTPrevious research on digital storytelling (DST) has focused chiefly on children and youth, but we know little about how it is used in non-formal adult education. This article analyzes a DST class in rural Ireland, which was organized by a family literacy program and offered for parents at an elementary school. Data sources included fieldnotes, interviews, and digital stories by the parents who finished the class (n = 3). Janks's interdependence model of critical literacy is used to analyze how the class incorporated power, access, diversity, and design. The class did not engage in ideology critique or analyze the origins or consequences of dominant technologies, languages, and literacies (i.e., investigate power as domination). However, the class did provide access to technology knowledge and skills; affirm parents’ diverse knowledge, languages, life experiences, and identities; and equip participants to design and disseminate their digital stories. The study highlights possibilities for using multimodal composition in family learning and adult education.

The Case of Three Karen Refugee Women and Their Children: Literacy Practices in a Family Literacy Context

ABSTRACTThe lack of research about the Karen, one of 135 ethnic groups from Myanmar limits literacy educators charged with educating this refugee population in public schools. In this case study the authors explore the literacy practices of Karen families when at school and in their homes and within an ESL family literacy program. The case of these refugee families and their experiences are analyzed within a sociocultural theoretical framework along with a focus on literacy adaptation through the lenses of cross-cultural studies, adult and language teachers involved in literacy practices, and literacy studies. Four core themes emerged from participant observation, including adult/parent learners’ engagement with memorization, parents’ literacy practices through reading texts aloud (recitation) to improve their speaking skills, and parents’ use of computers to engage with American media. The study offers important educational understandings of one of the world’s least known diaspora.

Evaluation of Family Literacy Programs: A Case Study of Better Beginnings, a Library-Initiated Family Literacy Bookgifting Program in Western Australia

This paper examines the nature of family literacy programs, with a particular focus on those that are based around the provision of free books to babies and young children, sometimes called “bookgifting” programs. First, the paper explores the rationale for family literacy programs in general and identifies some issues in their evaluation. It then focuses specifically on bookgifting programs. Using examples from several well-established programs, it reviews the research on which they are based, with particular reference to evaluation procedures. Next, the paper identifies some important issues that need to be addressed when planning and evaluating these programs, and notes some fundamental differences between particular programs that may have impacted on the results. It argues that this area of research needs stronger definition and a more inclusive approach to evaluation that includes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In order to illustrate the potential of a mixed-method approach, the paper examines the evaluation of the Better Beginnings bookgifting program for babies that has been initiated, developed, and extended by the State Library of Western Australia for over a decade. The paper concludes by suggesting that effective program evaluation is complex and multifaceted and must consider changes in behavior, confidence, and attitudes, as well as the ways in which such programs are experienced and integrated into family literacy practices. This approach provides insight into the contextual variables that determine the effectiveness of programs within and across families, and therefore inform further program development.

Targeted Ovarian Cancer Education for Hispanic Women: A Pilot Program in Arizona.

In disadvantaged populations, including Hispanics, there is a deficit in understanding of cancer risk factors, symptoms, prevention, and treatment. The objective of this study was to assess ovarian cancer knowledge in a population of Hispanic women in Arizona, identify deficiencies, and to evaluate the utility of an educational program developed specifically for this community's needs. A de novo questionnaire about ovarian cancer was distributed to Hispanic women enrolled in family literacy programs at Mesa Public Schools. Following this assessment, a video educational program was developed, with emphasis on areas of greatest knowledge deficits, and post-intervention assessment administered. Chi square, Wilcoxon rank sum, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analysis. 167 questionnaires were completed in the pretest group and 102 in the post-intervention group. Between groups, there were no differences in age (p=0.49), education (p=0.68), or annual income (p=0.26). In the pretest group, 45% of questions were answered correctly versus 84% in the post-test group (p<0.01). 24.2% of the initial respondents correctly identified ovarian cancer symptoms versus 85.6 of post-test respondents (p<0.01). With the program, there was an increase in the number of correct post-test responses for each question and symptom (p<0.01), except those about hereditary risk of ovarian cancer (p=0.62) and pelvic anatomy (p=0.16). Following identification of an ovarian cancer knowledge deficit in this cohort of Hispanic women, an educational tool targeting specific deficiencies successfully increased cancer knowledge and awareness of symptoms. Similar efforts in this and other minority populations should be continued.