Family Educational Involvement, Article Critique Example

Synopsis

This journal article examines the beneficial impacts of family educational involvement on the literacy of children from low-income backgrounds through analysis of longitudinal data of one hundred and sixty seven low-income children to determine the link between the educational participation of the family during nursery school, the attitudes of the children towards literacy and their literacy accomplishment from nursery school to the fifth grade (Dearing, 2004). The beneficial effects of family participation on feelings regarding literacy and literacy accomplishment was restrained by the level of education of the mother leading to the conclusion that participation gives positive literary results to children whose mothers have limited education compared to those whose mothers are well educated. Furthermore, the children’s attitudes towards literacy restrained the relationship between family educational participation and literacy accomplishment. The article discusses the inferences of intervention efforts.

Summary

The participation of the family in the education of their children is widely accepted has having beneficial impacts on academic accomplishment of the children. Despite the existence of empirical prove to support the importance of family involvement, current reviews shows two contentious scientific and policy related issues. The first issue is the lack of clarity of the level of impacts of involvement among different learners because various studies fail to underscore differences across learners in relation to impacts of involvement (Epstein, 1995). The second issue concerns the failure of most studies to address vital questions regarding the power of involvement in literacy success. Family participation in education may include getting involved in school functions, aiding and supervising with school work, communicating education-based issues with other families and prospects from their children. The effects of a child’s feelings on literacy can be improved through modeling, instruction and reinforcement (Fan & Chen, M2001). This study compliments existing knowledge on the functions of maternal education and children’s attitudes towards literacy in low income and education families.

References

Dearing, E., mccartney, K., Weiss, H.B., Kreider, H. & Simpkins, S. (2004). The promotive effects of family educational involvement for low-income children’s literacy. Journal of School Psychology 42 (2004) 445–460

Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 701–712.

Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A Meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 1, 1 – 22.