|
By Quynh Vu
Research Question
Do children of Family Literacy participants experience
increased academic support as a result of their
parents acquiring English? Do participants of
Family Literacy use their acquired English language
skills to become more involved parents at home
and at school?
Rationale
This intent of this research is to find out whether
children of parents who participate in Family
Literacy benefit academically as a result of participation
in the program and how parents are helping their
children succeed through the program. This research
will also further investigate the level of academic
parent involvement at school and at home to determine
whether parents have transferred the skills they
have learned in the program to their homes.
The results from this data may be used to help
design a Family Literacy partner program for
English proficient parents who also need English
and literacy support for themselves and their
children.
Research Study
This research study involved nineteen parent participants of a family literacy
program at Orchard School in San Jose, California, during the 2003-2004 school
year.
Analysis of Data
This study focused on the relationship between
parents' participation in a
family literacy program and their level of involvement with their child's.
This study revealed:
- Parents practiced parenting
skills learn in the program to improve ways
in which they
could support their children's learning
- Parents used techniques for supporting literacy
in the home thorough reading and naturally-occurring
activities
- Parents became more confident in their role
as partners in the school community
- Students of family literacy parents improved
by at least one CELDT level
- Non-English proficient parents are more like
to be involved if they are informed in their
home language
Policy Implications
This study conclusively confirms that there
is a direct connection between parents who participate
in the Family Literacy Program and the level
of involvement expressed at home and school.
Support must include funding necessary to provide
the following:
- Continued programming to include
English instruction for non-English proficient
parents
- Expansion of the program to include
new services for parents who are English proficient
speakers who need literacy support for themselves
and/or their children
- Professional development for
teachers on involving limited or non-English
proficient parents in the school community that
is ongoing and sustained
To the Full Paper (pdf
file. Need Adobe Acrobat? Click
here.)
|
