Date of Degree Completion
Spring 2025
Degree Type
Capstone - Open Access
Instructor/Advisor
Dr. Gerardo Gauthier-Zayas & Dr. Audrey Falk
Abstract
Family engagement is a powerful force in shaping children’s literacy and language development. Research consistently highlights the impact of daily family engagement in creating a rich home literacy environment. Theories such as Sociocultural Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, and the Funds of Knowledge framework illustrate how human development is influenced by social interactions within various environments, with home serving as the first and most important learning environment. Family engagement is shaped by multiple factors, including socioeconomic status, parental beliefs, and access to literacy resources at home and in the community. Family engagement can also help address challenges such as socioeconomic barriers, limited knowledge of child development, time constraints, and difficulties in establishing literacy routines. An analysis of parental engagement was gathered in this Community Workshop Capstone project to discover parents knowledge to create themes on family engagement in addition to literacy home environments influence language and literacy skills in children aged zero to five. Fostering and sustaining on-going family engagement, positive learning practices provide parents with potential foundations relating to their child’s literacy and language growth.
Recommended Citation
Quintanilla, Jeneara, "Family Engagement and a Rich Home Literacy Environment: The shaping of literacy and language development in early childhood children" (2025). Community Engagement Student Work. 140.
https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/soe_student_ce/140