A Conceptual Review of Family Literacy Initiatives Targeting Reading Comprehension

• In Event: Roundtable Session 51
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Family Language and Literacy Development

Abstract

This paper provides a conceptual review of family literacy initiatives which have made an impact on students’ literacy learning, particularly their reading comprehension. We define family literacy initiatives as coordinated, collaborative efforts to involve at least two stakeholders (i.e., adults: children) who execute a defined role to address, recognize, or incorporate family literacies across multiple contexts with the goal of improving children’s literacy achievement. After a systematic literature review, we applied inclusionary criteria and reviewed 27 studies. We found that effective family literacy initiatives tend to include one or more of the following key components: (1) inclusion of ongoing parent training, (2) consideration and incorporation of family literacy practices, and (3) opportunity to sustain collaborative relationships between involved stakeholders.

Authors

• Patricia A. Edwards, Michigan State University

• Maria Selena Protacio, Western Michigan University

• Marliese Peltier, Michigan State University

• Laura J. Hopkins, Michigan State University