Date of Award

May 2014

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Professional Studies

Department

Teaching and Leadership

Advisor(s)

Joesph B. Shedd

Subject Categories

Education

Abstract

All families engage in a range of social practices involving elements of literacy. These practices may be more or less similar to those promoted in school settings. The ways in which family literacy practices mirror those of the school often begin to be revealed as children participate in formal programs. The purpose of conducting this study is to identify how parental involvement in a comprehensive, literacy focused parenting education program results in school readiness and achievement for children and improved parenting skills.

An explanatory mixed methods design is used to determine both the impact and meaning of 48 parents and their children who were involved in the program. Quantitative methods are employed to determine the differences and interaction between home-visitation program involvement and a child's school readiness and performance. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with four Kindergarten families in an effort to discern what involvement in the PACT program meant for these families.

This study suggests that children whose parents are involved with the PACT program demonstrate greater readiness for Kindergarten and academic performance in Kindergarten than families that are not involved in the program. The depth of parental engagement in the PACT program promotes greater school readiness than does the extent to which parents consistently attend home visits. Parents involved in PACT shared that their engagement in the program was heavily dependent upon the relationships developed between the family and the parent educator. Parenting skills that were developed reflected both the objectives of the program and more subtle features of parenting. The results of this study provide additional insight into future research on home-visitation programs and school district practices related to parental engagement.

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Open Access

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