From lullabies to literacy: Jordanian parents' self-reported involvement in preschool children's early literacy

Abstract

This study provides preliminary evidence on Jordanian parents' self-reported involvement in their preschool children's early literacy. Active parental involvement in children’s early literacy matters because learning begins at home and extends into formal schooling and later life. This study examined the extent of Jordanian parents' engagement in their preschool children’s early literacy and whether involvement varies by parent age, academic qualification, interest in reading, number of children in the family, and daily reading time. Because involvement was measured through parental self-report rather than direct observation of parent–child literacy interactions or assessment of children’s literacy outcomes, the findings reflect parents’ reported practices and perceptions. Using a descriptive survey design, a validated parental involvement questionnaire was administered to 708 parents of preschool boys and girls selected through purposeful sampling from kindergartens in the northern Jordanian governorates of Irbid, Jerash, Ajloun, and Mafraq. The findings suggest moderate to high parental involvement, with statistically significant differences related to parental interest in reading, family size, and time spent reading, whereas parent age and academic qualification showed no significant differences. These findings describe Jordanian parents' reported early literacy practices and the demographic and reading-related characteristics associated with those practices.