Presenting a United Front: Parental Involvement Facilitating Children's Literacy Development

Abstract

Literacy development is recognised across both education policy and research literature as essential for educational success. Historically, literacy has mainly been a focus for teachers within the classroom, however a growing body of research has established correlations between parental involvement and students’ literacy achievement. This literature review critiques the body of research examining the relationship between both home-based and school-based parental involvement and literacy development. Studies have consistently found positive associations between parental involvement in literacy practices and students’ literacy achievement. Research indicates that despite these positive correlations, many parents do not engage in literacy practices with their children. This review discusses the barriers which prevent some families from engaging in these literacy practices with their children and presents a New Zealand case study highlighting a home-school partnership programme which addresses these barriers with the goal of raising student literacy achievement. Through the conclusions drawn from the critique of the research and case study presented, this literature review establishes best practice for parents and teachers and suggests relevant direction for future research into home-school partnership programmes aimed at increasing parental involvement.