In this study, a grounded theory in a qualitative research design was developed to extend the knowledge base of positive parenting practices in homes of Migrant students. The study examined: (a) parenting practices in homes of high-achieving preadolescent students, (b) the impact of high mobility and school transitions, (c) family language and literacy practices, (d) cultural and historical contexts of parenting practices, and (e) parents' perspectives about what is happening in the schools. Literature was reviewed to learn about families of cultural and linguistic diversity from middle class Anglo students and staff. Categories that developed from the research of literature included: (a) education and the future, (b) family literacy and learning, (c) mentors and role models, and (d) family values and family communication. Interviews were conducted after cross-cultural research techniques were used to decenter the languages. Parents of fourteen students responded to the interviews and a checklist for the home learning environment. Three administrators were interviewed to gain their perspective of the school program for Migrant students and opportunities for parent involvement. The findings were reported in three categories: (a) parenting practices in the home, (b) parent perspective of school learning environments, and (c) the home-school partnership. Conclusions were based on the parents' responses, but most responses related literacy and learning directly to the school. School administrators provided information about basic programs and supplementary services. Six recommendations were made to other parents of Migrant students and for administrators and other school leaders. Recommendations to parents included: (a) specific and direct communication with children from an early age, (b) support for children's homework, schoolwork, and other responsibilities, and (c) counseling about positive mentors, role models, and friends. Recommendations for administrators included: (d) the need for early childhood education programs, services, and communication with parents, (e) provision of extra-curricular activities for all preadolescent students, and (f) a school culture that welcomes and encourages cultural and linguistic diversity.

No description available.

Submitted in fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Education, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / In this critical reflective self study I have examined the Family Literacy Project (FLP) to determine the influences that contributed to the development of an approach to family literacy. This study responds to the question What influences contributed to the development of an approach to family literacy relevant to the needs of families in rural KwaZulu Natal? By identifying and exploring and critically reflecting on these influences I provide insights that can inform policy and practice in the adult education and early childhood development sectors in South Africa. The study includes my critical reflections on finding a voice within a self study and how this has contributed towards the development of a methodology. In the process, I have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of what has been achieved in the FLP during the first eight years under my directorship, and why. In the study, I report on these insights. The FLP project in this study is situated in deeply rural KwaZulu Natal, where the existing extensive knowledge base is almost exclusively oral, and informed by well established insights, understandings and values. In this context, I have examined the roles of families, adult literacy and early childhood development to establish their impact on the development of literacy in families. Through critical reflection, I then identified the principles – active learning, holistic development, community and children‟s rights – underpinning the FLP and was able to establish how these impacted on the development and success of the project. I then examined the roles, practices and characteristics of the FLP facilitators, and the experiences of facilitators and those who engaged in the project. I also looked at the roles played by the community, the external evaluators, and the effect of exposure of the project in the public domain through attendance at iv conferences, publication of journal articles, and awards made to the project because of its successes. I conclude the study by suggesting how the insights from the study might provide support for others engaged in such initiatives and indicating how the topic may be further investigated. / National Research Foundation.

The study examined the literacy practices, general resources, and technological tools being used by parents to promote literacy at home. The primary purpose was to determine if differences existed in the literacy practices used by parents of preschool children with and without disabilities. The study also sought to determine if the age and education of parents had any effect upon the literacy practices utilized by parents.The population for the study consisted of 384 parents from six counties in Indiana. Each participant had a child between the ages of 3- to 6-years old who attended a preschool program. Over half of the participants had a child with disabilities. Preschool administrators who were selected for the study distributed the data-collection instrument, Parent's Views on Literacy Survey, which was developed by the researcher. The survey instrument consisted of demographic questions that addressed the study's independent variables and 20 questions that were designed to act as the study's dependent variables. The questions pertained to the types of literacy activities being provided in the home.A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed and a significant difference between parents of preschool children with disabilities and parents of preschool children without disabilities was determined. Parents of preschool children without disabilities used significantly more general literacy practices and literacy activities using technology. There was a significant difference in the types of activities and in the quantity of activities provided. It was also determined that the differences were not due to the factors of age or education of the parents. The second part of the questionnaire directed questions specifically to parents of preschool children with disabilities. The type of disability of the child, the types of assistive technology (AT), and the frequency in which AT was utilized to promote literacy activities were identified. A simple cross tabulation between the types of disabilities and the categories of AT revealed that there were also differences among the categories of AT used and disability types.Three open-ended questions were used to determine additional information about parents' literacy practices. The data collected was stratified and analyzed for emergent themes. Parents of typically developing children reported the need for more technological tools and resources while parents of preschool children with disabilities reported that more information on specific skill development was needed. Furthermore, parents of preschool children with disabilities expressed the belief that the greatest barrier for their child in developing literacy skills related to factors that were associated with the disability. It was also determined that parents of children with disabilities underutilized assistive technology devices for facilitating literacy skills.This research further supports the differences in the literacy practices among parents. Parents of preschool children without disabilities use general literacy practices and technological literacy practices with greater frequency than do the parents of preschool children with disabilities. / Department of Special Education

No description available.

This doctoral thesis centres on six children, aged four to nine, who relatively recently immigrated to Sweden. The children’s encounters with literacy are in focus. These children are not only new arrivals to Sweden, they also have in common that Swedish is their second language and that their parents have had little or no formal education prior to arriving in Sweden. The study draws on sociocultural approaches to literacy, and more specifically the field of New Literacy Studies. In this study, reading and writing are viewed as social practices comprising different related sociocultural aspects such as norms, values, habits, traditions and ideologies, and the study concentrates on social and ideological perspectives on literacy. Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and symbolic capital have also been used for the analysis. The empirical material was collected through an ethnographic approach. Each child was followed for one year, particularly at school/preschool. The children’s homes were also visited, and their parents and teachers were interviewed. Observations involved different degrees of participation and were documented through field notes and photographs. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. In addition, artefacts and school material from the field were collected or photographed. A qualitative content analysis of the collected data was performed. The analysis show that sociocultural incongruence, coupled with flawed communication between the schools and the homes, caused the children less continuity between school and home practices. Though, the results also show, that the children studied to a considerable extent adapted to the monolingual, homogenous norms when they participated in school practices. These children are therefore highly adaptable, while their teachers found it much harder to handle or even be aware of sociocultural incongruences. / I denna avhandling studeras litteracitetspraktiker hos en grupp nyanlända barn i åldrar mellan fyra och tio år. Det specifika för barnen är att deras föräldrar inte har någon eller endast en kort skolbakgrund från ursprungslandet. Under ett års tid har barnen följts i förskolan eller skolan samt i hemmet. Deras föräldrar och lärare har också intervjuats. Avhandlingens syfte är att skapa förståelse för hur samspelet runt barnens språkande ter sig samt vilka förutsättningar och villkor som råder för detta samspel. Studien visar hur barnen skapar kontinuitet mellan hemmet och skolan, trots att deras tidigare erfarenheter och modersmål har en ytterst perifer plats i skolans och förskolans litteracitetspraktiker och trots att kommunikationen mellan skolan/förskolan och hemmet haltar. Barnen och deras föräldrar strävar efter att anpassa sig till de svenskspråkiga och monokulturella normer som skolans och förskolans litteracitetspraktiker vilar på. Avhandlingens bidrag är att öka kunskapen om hur nyanlända barn, och i synnerhet barn till föräldrar utan eller med endast kort skolbakgrund, bättre kan tas emot i skolan och förskolan.

This study sought to answer if the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program had a positive academic impact on Hispanic English language learners (ELL). HIPPY is a free, 2-year, home-based early intervention program for 4-and 5-year-old children. The program is intended to provide educational enrichment to at-risk children from poor and immigrant families, increase school readiness, and foster parent involvement in their children's education. A quasi-experimental design and quantitative measures were used to measure the academic success of Hispanic ELL students in reading, mathematics, and language arts. The sample included an experimental group and a purposeful control group. Hispanic students who attended an early childhood school as 4 year olds and participated in the HIPPY 4 and 5 programs were compared to Hispanic students who attended an early childhood school as 4 year olds and did not participate in HIPPY. Results from the Texas-mandated criterion referenced Texas Assessment Knowledge and Skills (TAKS™) Test and the TerraNova® and TerraNova SUPERA® norm referenced tests were used in this study. Results from the TAKS Reading and TAKS Mathematics Grade 3 and the TerraNova reading, language, mathematics, and total composite scores were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The treatment group and control group results from both assessments were measured and compared. A statistically significant difference was found in 5 out of the 6 null hypotheses tested. The treatment group statistically significantly outperformed the control group in the TAKS Reading and the TerraNova and TerraNova SUPERA reading, language, mathematics, and total composite assessments. This study substantiates that the HIPPY program works and can have a positive impact on a child's school readiness. Additionally, a significant range of sustainability was also established since the results were measured from assessments administered in the third grade and 5 years after the treatment group began participating in the HIPPY program.

No description available.