Enhancing Head Start parents' conceptions of literacy development and their confidence as literacy teachers: A study of parental involvement

This study examined the influence of six African-American parents' involvement in literacy-related activities at Head Start on their self-confidence, responsivity and sensitivity to children's emerging literacy behaviors. Assuming the role of “parent-teachers” in a literacy-enriched play office setting, the parents engaged children, who voluntarily entered the setting, in literacy-related play over a five month period. Based on ethnographic-like interviews with them, videotaped observations, and self-observation reports drawn from videotaped excerpts, the parents' communication patterns at three points in the study were determined and their views of themselves as literacy teachers described. Results indicated variation in the parents' communication patterns toward greater verbal interaction and acknowledgement of children's emergent literacy behaviors. Content analyses of parental attitudes suggested subtle changes in their confidence and sense of efficacy as teachers following their involvement with the children in the literacy-enriched play setting. Implications for the design and implementation of parental involvement activities in school settings are briefly discussed.