Parents and Community Engagement in Literacy Skills Learning

Juhudi Cosmas

Abstract


Literacy skills constitute one of the most important life competences that schools teach. The issues of literacy and numeracy are themes of concern in Tanzania due to the low literacy levels observed among Tanzanian pupils.  This paper focuses on parents’ and community engagement in literacy learning. Within the framework of qualitative research approach, the phenomenological design informed the study procedures. A sample of 12 teachers and eight (8) parents was purposively chosen using convenient and snowball strategies. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Accordingly, the content analysis approach was employed to analyse the views of teachers and parents on the practices of parents’ and community engagement in literacy learning and factors that strain parents and community engagement in literacy skills learning. The findings indicate that there were no practices of engaging parents and community in their children’s literacy skills learning. This implies that there were no parents and community engagement framework and strategies for enhancing literacy skill learning and acquisition among the children. The factors that strained parents and community in their children’s literacy skills learning were associated with inadequacy of finance, lack of support and supervision to pre-primary education programmes by the government; absence of parents and community engagement framework for enhancing literacy skills learning; the beliefs that learning happens in school and teaching is done only by teachers; and parents’ poverty and ignorance. The overall conclusion is that the literacy learning of children is a shared responsibility. Therefore, parents and community have a reciprocal responsibility to engage with the school to promote literacy skills learning. Parents and community engagement framework for enhancing literacy skills among the children is undeniable. The study recommends that a combination of actors (parents, community, government and non-governmental organisations) needs to intervene and play well their roles to establish strong parents and community engagement framework and strategies for enhancing literacy skills learning.

 

Key words: Literacy, Engagement, Community Engagement


Full Text:

PDF

References


Bornfreund, L (2012). Effective early childhood and adolescent literacy strategies. Stand for Children Leadership Center. Available at: ttps://standleadershipcenter.org/sites/standleadershipcenter.org/files/media/WWSF-Literacy.pdf.

Department of Education and Skills (2011). Literacy and numeracy for learning and life: The national strategy to improve literacy and numeracy among children and young people 2011-2020.Dublin: Department of Education and Skills.

Emerson, L., Fear. J., Fox, S. & Sanders, E. (2012). Parental engagement in learning and schooling: Lessons from research. A report by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) for the Family-School and Community Partnerships Bureau: Canberra.

Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/Family/Community partnerships: Caring for the children we share, Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9):701-712.

Goodall, J. & Vorhaus, J. (2011). Review of best practice in parental engagement. Research Report DFE-RR 156, Department for Education.

Kendall, S., Straw, S., Jones, M., Springate, I. & Grayson, H. (2008). Narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups: A review of the research evidence. National Foundation for Education Research (NFER). Available at: http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/LNG01/LNG01.pdf

Kernan, M. (2012). Parental involvement in early learning. The Hague: International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) and Bernard van Leer Foundation.

Lee. J. & Bowen, N. (2006). Parent involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement gap among elementary school children. American Educational Research Journal, 43:193-218.

Mawere, V.H., Thomas, K.A. &Nyaruwata, L. T. (2015). An evaluation of parental involvement in ECD programme: A case study of primary schools in Kuwadzana Suburb in Zimbabwe, Global Journal of Advanced Research 2(10):1545-1556

Muller, D (2009). Parental engagement: Social and economic effects. Prepared for the Australian Parents Council. Available at: http://www.austparents.edu.au

Oakes, J. & Lipton, M. (2007), Teaching to change the world, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Ryan, R., Fauth, R., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2006). Childhood poverty: Implications for school readiness and early childhood education. In: B. Spodek & O. Saracho (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 323-347). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Sumra, S. & Katabaro, J. K. (2014). Declining quality of education: Suggestions for arresting and reversing the trend. Dar es Salaam: Economic and Social Research Foundation.

Swick, K. J. & Williams, R. D. (2006). An analysis of Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological perspective for early childhood educators: Implications for working with families experiencing stress. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 372 – 378.

Weiss, H.B, Lopez, M. E. & Rosenberg, H. (2010). Beyond random acts: Family, school and community engagement as an integral part of education reform. Paper prepared for the National Policy Forum for Family, School and Community Engagement. Available at: http://www.nyspirc.org/info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Beyond-Random-Acts-HFRP.pdf.

Wheeler & Connor (2006). Parents, early years and learning activities, London: The National Children’s Bureau.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.