ABSTRACT
This study examined the role of parental involvement in the schools’ reading program for Key Stage 1 learners in the Lemery Sub-Office. Using a quasi-experimental design, the investigation assessed the extent of parental involvement, the reading performance of Key Stage 1 learners, and the level of effectiveness of the schools’ reading programs. Data were collected from 132 Key Stage 1 teachers through a structured questionnaire administered via Google Forms, which allowed efficient and accurate gathering of responses. The findings revealed that parental involvement was evident to a very great extent, particularly in homework completion and reading-related activities.
Prior to the implementation of the reading program, learners generally demonstrated strong word recognition skills but exhibited varied and sometimes weak comprehension, indicating a gap between decoding and understanding. After the implementation, both skills improved markedly, with all schools attaining grade-level proficiency in word recognition and most showing significant gains in comprehension. The reading program was rated as highly effective across its components, particularly in terms of teaching strategies, learning materials provided, time and duration of implementation, and learner engagement. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant improvement in reading performance attributable to the program’s structured instructional design. However, correlational analysis revealed no significant relationship between parental involvement and program effectiveness, indicating that the observed improvements were primarily due to school-based interventions rather than variations in parental participation.
Keywords: Parental involvement, reading program, Key Stage 1 learners, Reading performance, Program effectiveness