Parent Perceptions of Books in Schools

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT070 (Thursday)

Abstract

This study aims to explore how parents perceive the purpose of books in schools within the current climate of censorship and book challenges. Using an interpretive framework, I explore how parental ideologies shape attitudes toward literacy in schools. Data are collected through a two-phase qualitative design, incorporating both surveys and semi-structured interviews with parents of minor children. Preliminary results from a pilot study show parents have differing expectations for what their children should read in schools and at home, express general trust in educators to choose books in schools, and focus more on which texts children should read, rather than what they shouldn’t. This research contributes to broader conversations about the parent-school relationship as an essential element in literacy education.

Author

• Lisa Redding, University of North Texas