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Assessing the Families’ Perceptionsof Their Young Children'sAcquisition of LiteracyOlivia N. Saracho aa Department of Curriculum & Instruction , University ofMaryland , College Park, Maryland 20742, USA E-mail:Published online: 09 Jul 2006.

To cite this article: Olivia N. Saracho (2000) Assessing the Families’ Perceptions of TheirYoung Children's Acquisition of Literacy, Early Child Development and Care, 161:1, 83-91,DOI: 10.1080/0030443001610107

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Assessing the Families' Perceptions of TheirYoung Children's Acquisition of Literacy

OLIVIA N. SARACHO

Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Maryland,College Park, Maryland 20742, USAE-mail: os1 @umail.umd.edu

(Received 5 January 2000)

The purpose of this study was to develop a family literacy questionnaire that could beused in a survey or interview to examine the families' perceptions of their contributionsto promoting the acquisition of literacy in their young children. An in-depth open endedinterview was conducted with 10 families of young children. Family members identifiedliteracy experiences that they shared with their children. The interviewer asked aboutspecific experiences and asked respondees to elaborate on their responses. Thesequestions helped family members to think of literacy experiences that they shared withtheir children. The information from these interviews provided the basis for the questionsthat became the family literacy questionnaire. A questionnaire containing 60 items innine sections was generated. Each section contained from 1 to 8 items. To validate thequestionnaire, factors in the questions were matched with factors that emerged froma review of the literature on family variables that have been found to affect literacy inthe home. In addition, the questionnaire was shared with a reading specialist, akindergarten teacher and a well known scholar in early childhood education. There wasa 95% agreement on the items and directions. Where differences emerged items wereeither deleted or modified based on the suggestions of the panel.

Key words: Literacy questionnaire, family variables, validate, modified

INTRODUCTION

Families differ greatly in the degree to which they provide a supportive environmentfor their children's acquisition of literacy. As such, measures of the home literacyenvironment may provide an indication of an individual child's opportunities toacquire literacy skills in the home. The purpose of this study was to develop a familyliteracy questionnaire to be used in surveys and interviews examining families'perceptions of their contributions to promoting the acquisition of literacy in theiryoung children. The study was based on the assumption that children's literacy isnurtured when families support activities in die home that promote language andreading.

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FAMILY LITERACY

Over the past four decades reading researchers have strived to understand homefactors that might contribute to the children's acquisition of literacy. The conceptof family literacy reflects a blend of models and approaches that families use topromote their children's acquisition of literacy. Lancy (1994) believes that adultsassume a crucial mediating role when they concentrate on the children's attentionto text and print components, helping them see the relationship between the textand their past experiences, and helping them find meaning in a. text. Rasinski,Bruneau and Ambrose (1990) conclude that parents perform the same functionsat home that teachers do in classroom settings to reinforce young children's languageand literacy acquisition. In acquiring literacy, young children (1) explore theirenvironment, (2) converse with others, (3) express themselves, (4) authenticateevents, and (5) interact with the text (Neuman & Roskos, 1989) in both the homeand school settings.

Literacy in the home can promote (a) print awareness, concepts, and functions;(b) knowledge of narratives structure; (c) literacy as a source of enjoyment; and (d)vocabulary and discourse patterns (Snow & Tabors, 1996). Literacy experiences mayinclude sharing reading activities, providing print materials, and developing positiveattitudes toward reading (Saracho, 1988,1987,1986,1985,1984; Saracho & Dayton,1991, 1989). Literacy experiences, such as parents reading storybooks and writingshopping lists with children, are considered a source of knowledge about print (Clay,1979), about letters (Burgess, 1982), and about the characteristics of written language(Purcell-Gates, 1988). Family members can read to children, have children see othersread, construct reading and writing materials for children to use, and encouragechildren to ask and answer questions (Teale & Sulzby, 1986). Yaden, Smolkin andMacGillivray (1993) affirm that children can demonstrate knowledge of reading whena more proficient reader reads with them. Children engage in literacy when they useeducational toys, interact with print, pretend to read, and attempt to identify wordsand letters on t-shirts and cereal boxes.

Several factors seem critical in young children's early acquisition of literacy. Theseinclude access to books (Elley, 1992), singing songs heard on the radio or television,reciting nursery rhymes, chanting rhyming games (Baker, Serpell & Sonnenschein,1995), conversing (Snow & Tabors, 1993), and providing complex narratives thatshow a structural organization of stories. When family members retell the day'sactivities, children can understand the concept of narratives (Snow & Tabors, 1993).Goodman (1986) attributes the children's acquisition of literacy to homeenvironments (1) that exhibit print items (e.g., newspapers, books, magneticrefrigerator letters, posters, writing materials for making lists, and memoranda) and(2) where parent and child interact about environmental print. Saracho (1999)demonstrates that families engage with their young children in regular reading aswell as informal and formal literacy activities and materials, which are diverse,motivating, and of interest to the families. She identifies four categories that familiesuse to extend their children's literacy skills: (1) Reading at Home, (2) Reading Outsidethe Home, (3) Using Other Literacy Activities and Materials, and (4) Writing Activities.

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Literacy skills can be cultivated in numerous settings and situations. Families canbe critical assets in their children's acquisition of literacy. Since the home surroundingsstimulate the children's literacy learning, it is essential to examine the families'perceptions in promoting their young children's acquisition of literacy. The purposeof this study was to develop a family literacy questionnaire to be used in surveysand/or interviews to examine families' perceptions of their contributions topromoting their young children's acquisition of literacy.

PROCEDURES

The Families

Ten families of kindergarten children were interviewed. These families volunteeredto participate in an in-depth interview concerning their perceptions of theircontributions in promoting their young children's acquisition of literacy.

The Interview

Data were collected through open ended interviews which were conducted with 10families of young children to obtain information about the families' perceptionsof their contributions in promoting their young children's acquisition of literacy.Family members were asked to identify literacy experiences that they shared withtheir children. The interviewer helped family members by asking about specificexperiences, such as:

1. Does your child read at home?2. What does your child read with you at home?3. What does your child read with you when you're away from home?4. What board games does your family play that has letters, pictures, or numbers?5. What games do you and your child play that involves letters, pictures, or numbers?6. What TV programs do you and your child watch together?7. Do you and your child go to the public library?8. Do you and your child engage in any writing activities?

Such questions helped family members to think of literacy experiences that theyshared with their children.

The Questionnaire1

The information from these intensive interviews provided the basis for the questionsin the family literacy questionnaire. The questionnaire contains 60 items in nine

lI would like to acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Lydia Gonzalez, Ms. Gina Downing and Dr.Bernard Spodek for their contribution in the development of this questionnaire.

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sections with each section containing from 1 to 8 items (The questionnaire ispresented in Table 1). Family factors that affect literacy acquisition were extractedfrom the in-depth interviews. To validate the questionnaire, these factors werematched with factors that emerged from a review of the literature on family variablesthat affect literacy in the home. The questionnaire was also reviewed by a readingspecialist, a kindergarten teacher, and a well-known scholar in early childhoodeducation. The reading specialist had a Master's degree in reading (K-12), a certificateas a Reading Specialist, several years of teaching experience, and was working withelementary school children, including those children in kindergarten. Thekindergarten teacher had a kindergarten endorsement and several years of experienceteaching young children. The early childhood scholar has written several books andarticles on early childhood education, including topics relating to early literacy.There was a 96% agreement on the items and directions. Those items where therewas no agreement were either deleted or modified based on the suggestions of thepanel.

DISCUSSION

A family literacy questionnaire was developed using an open ended interview toexamine the families' perceptions of their contributions in promoting their youngchildren's acquisition of literacy. It was based on the assumption that children'sliteracy is acquired when families provide activities in the home that promotelanguage and reading. The questionnaire contained 60 items in nine sections witheach section contained from 1 to 8 items. The questionnaire items were validatedand are supported by the literature on family literacy.

Researchers can use this questionnaire to explore the families' contributions inpromoting their young children's acquisition of literacy. It can help researchersassess the home literacy environment itself, suggesting each child's opportunitiesto acquire literacy skills in the home environment. The questionnaire is designedto be administered individually, in small groups, or large groups. A researcher canadminister it to large groups of family members who are able to read and followdirections. These family members read the questionnaire and respond to each item.For family members with some degree of literacy skills, the questionnaire can beadministered in small groups with some assistance from the researcher. For thosefamily members who are illiterate, the researcher can use the items in thequestionnaire to interview the family members.

Researchers can use the information from these questionnaires to create familyliteracy programs. The information can indicate to the researchers what familymembers actually do in the home environment to promote their children's acquisitionof literacy skills. This information can be used by educators to develop family literacyprograms, support families in the literacy education of their children or providefamilies with a variety of alternatives.

Family members contribute to their children's acquisition of literacy by settingup rich literacy environments and interactions where children repeatedly are read

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Table 1 Family literacy Questionnaire.

Family Literacy Questionnaire

Directions: Please read the following statements and respond according to the directions for eachitem.

Person who filled out the questionnaire: Mother Father Other Person_

1. Does your child read at home? DYes ONoIf yes, with whom does your child read?

How often does your child read at home? (Please circle your response.)NEVER SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

2. My child reads the following with us at home: (Please check ajl that apply and circlethe word below each hem that best describes how often you and your child engage in theactivity.)D storybooks

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY• newspapers (comic strips, sports page, horoscopes, etc.)

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYG comic books

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO magazines

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO personal letters

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD personal notes or messages left by family members in the home

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD recipes or cooking instructions

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO religious materials such as religious texts or weekly church bulletins

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO career/job-related newsletters or brochures

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO student homework assignments

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO notes sent home by school or teachers

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO school cafeteria menus

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO TV guide

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO labels on food or other consumer products

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO catalogs or advertisements

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD the phone book

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

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3. When away from home, my child and I read: (Please check all that apply and circlethe word below each item that best describes how often you and your child engage in theactivity.)O road/street signs

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD billboard signs

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD maps

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD video boxes at the video store

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO menus at restaurants

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD shopping lists

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYG magazines in the doctor's office

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO books and magazines at grocery store and/or bookstore

SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

4. Our family plays board games such as:O Monopoly SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD Scrabble SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO Clue SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO Life SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD Sesame Street (By Milton Bradley) SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY• Scrabble Junior SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO Dr. Seuss The Cat In the Hat SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYa Dr. Seuss Hew The Grinch

Stole Christmas SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD Rhyme'N Climb SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYD Phonics Desk SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY• Alphabet Land SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILYO Others ;

5. We work together on crossword puzzles or word searches. D Yes ONo

6. Do you and your child watch T.V. together? OYes ONo If so, what do you watch?

7. Do you and your child go to the public library?D Yes D NoIf yes, how often?

8. Do you take books home from the library? O Yes O No

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9. What other activities do you engage in the library?

10. What language is most frequently spoken in your home?Do you have reading materials in this language? O Yes O NoIf yes, describe these reading materials.

How do you share these materials with your child?

Writing Activities

O I encourage my child to write notes or phone messages.SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

O My child helps me to write shopping lists.SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

O Our family plays word-games such as "hangman."SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

O I involve my child when writing personal letters to friends or family.SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

D I encourage and praise my child's attempts at "play" or "invented" writing.SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY DAILY

O Please list any other writing activities that you do as a family.

Do you engage in any literacy oriented computer games or stories with your child?• Yes O No

If yes, how often? "'What programs do you and your child use? Please list.D

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to, see others read, are offered worthwhile reading and writing materials, and areprompted to ask and respond to questions (Teale & Sulzby, 1986). Homeenvironments that make books available to children assist them to understand thefunctions of the written language. The quantity and quality of parent-child interactionsin the home can reinforce their children's acquisition of literacy. Productive parent-child interactions are generated as families and children work out problems usingan enormous degree of verbal interaction (Rogoff, 1990). Thus, families can motivatetheir children in their acquisition of literacy.

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Burgess, J.C. (1982). The effects of a training program for parents of preschoolers on the children'sschool readiness. Reading Improvement, 19(4), 313-318.

Clay, M.M. (1979). The early detection of reading difficulties. Auckland, New Zealand: Heinemann.Eisner, E. (1991). What really counts in schools. Educational Leadership, 69, 10-18.Elley, W.B. (1992). How in the world do students read? Hamburg, Germany: International Association for

the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.Goodman, Y.M. (1986). Children coming to know literacy. In W.H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Eds.) Emergent

literacy: Writing and reading. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Lancy, D. (Ed.). (1994). Children's emergent literacy: From research to practice. Westport, CT: Praeger.Neuman, S.B. and Roskos, K. (1989). Preschoolers' conceptions of literacy as reflected in their spontaneous

play. In S. McCormick and J. Zutell (Eds.), Cognitive and social perspectives for literacy research andinstruction (pp.87-94). Chicago: National Reading Conference.

Purcell-Gates, V. (1988). Lexical and syntactic knowledge of written narrative held by well-readr-to kindergartnersand second graders. Research in the Teaching of English, 22, 1228-160.

Rasinski, T., Bruneau, B. and Ambrose, R. (1990, November). Home literacy practices of parents whose childrenan enrolled in a whole language kindergarten. Paper presented at the annual conference of the CollegeReading Association, Nashville, TN.

Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. New York: OxfordUniversity Press.

Saracho, O.N. (1999). Families' involvement in their children's literacy development. Early Child Developmentand Care, 153, 121-126.

Saracho, O.N. (1988). Preschool reading attitudes scale. Early Child Development and Care, 37, 93-108.Saracho, O.N. (1987). Evaluating reading attitudes. Day Care and Early Education, 14, 23-25.Saracho, O.N. (1986). The development of the preschool reading attitudes scale. Child Study Journal,

16(2), 113-124.Saracho, O.N. (1985).Young children's attitudes toward reading. Educational Research Quarterly, 9(4), 19-

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