Parent Perceptions of their Participation in Teaching Children Letter-sound Association

Children enter kindergarten with a range in early literacy skills which may be due to differences of language experiences in their home environment. The purpose of this project study was to explore parents' perceptions of their involvement in teaching their children letter-sound association skills and develop a parents-as-teachers workshop to enhance parents' effectiveness in this role. This study was guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Vygotsky's idea of scaffold instruction. Qualitative data were collected in this study through an exploratory survey in order to determine parents' perceptions. The data were analyzed using typological analysis to verify parents' perceptions of their efficacy in teaching their children letter-sound association skills before their children entered kindergarten. Five themes emerged from the data: teaching confidence, literacy knowledge, teaching skill, recognition of letter-sound association, and openness to a parents-as-teachers workshop. These themes directed the development of a parent-as-teachers program to guide parents in assisting their children with letter-sound association. This study may promote positive social change by enhancing the motivation of parents to assist their children at home with learning letter-sound association before kindergarten entrance. Providing children with rich language experiences at an early age has the potential to contribute to literacy success.