Family Involvement in the Initial Literacy Process in Multigrade Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18202952Keywords:
Multigrade classrooms, initial literacy, family involvement, cultural capital, phenomenologyAbstract
Time constraints in multigrade classrooms render the family a mandatory stakeholder in the initial literacy process. This study aims to examine parents' experiences with the literacy process in multigrade classrooms and the pedagogical barriers they encounter. The research utilised a phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods; data were collected through semistructured interviews with parents whose children attended multigrade classes in rural Edirne and were analysed via content analysis. The findings indicate that parents lack knowledge of the "phonics-based sentence method", cause cognitive confusion in children through traditional methods, and fall short in their role as "assistant teachers" due to agricultural workloads. Consequently, the family's cultural capital and pedagogical equipment directly shape academic achievement in multigrade classrooms and deepen inequality of opportunity. The study recommends organising applied-method workshops for parents and disseminating digital support content.
References
Akyol, H. (2019). Türkçe ilk okuma yazma öğretimi (17. Baskı). Pegem Akademi.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Dursun, F. (2006). Birleştirilmiş sınıflarda eğitim sorunları ve çözüm önerileri. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2(2006), 3-57.
Epstein, J. L. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Westview Press.
Epstein, J. L. (2010). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 65. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171009200326
Kvale, S. (1996). InterViews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Sage Publications.
Little, A. W. (2006). Education for all and multigrade teaching: Challenges and opportunities. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4591-3
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Senechal, M., & LeFevre, J. A. (2002). Parental involvement in the development of children’s reading skill: A five-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 73(2), 445–460. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00417
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications.
Summak, M. S., Summak, A. E. G., & Gelebek, M. S. (2011). Birleştirilmiş sınıflarda karşılaşılan sorunlar ve öğretmenlerin bakış açısından olası çözüm önerileri (Kilis ili örneği). Gaziantep Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 10(3), 1221-1238.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Yıldız, M., & Köksal, K. (2009). Birleştirilmiş sınıf uygulamasına ilişkin öğretmen görüşlerinin değerlendirilmesi. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 17(1), 1–14.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammet Fatih Doğan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Service status