THE RELATION BETWEEN PARENTS’ CHARACTERISTICS/PRACTICES AND CHILDREN’S EARLY LITERACY SKILLS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMICS

Abstract

Relations between parental variables and children’s early literacy skills allow for preventive interventions and effective public policies in health and education. The present study aims to investigate the relation between parents’ characteristics (parental literacy expectations and attitudes, number of books at home) and parents’ practices (formal and informal literacy activities - shared book reading - and parental involvement) and children’s early literacy skills (word/pseudoword reading, spelling, knowledge of the alphabet, oral language) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thirty-five first grade children aged between 6 and 7 years old (M = 6.29; SD = 0.45) from private Brazilian schools took part in this study. The number of books at home predicted 16% of the variance in shared book reading frequency between parents and children. Moderate positive correlations were found between shared book reading frequency and phonological awareness and oral language performances. Parental involvement was strongly correlated with pseudoword reading performance, word/pseudoword spelling, letter writing and phonological awareness. Shared book reading explained 16.5% of the variance in phonological awareness performance and 11.8% in oral language. Parental involvement explained 28% of the variance of children's performance in phonological awareness. Family practices, especially shared book reading and parental involvement in children’s learning processes seem to promote phonological awareness and oral language skills development during a period of school closures and remote teaching/learning. These metalinguistic and oral language skills are important predictors of success in learning to read and spelling and can therefore be promoted through parenting practices.