Investigating Multiple Dimensions of Children’s Literacy Interests in Learning English

Investigating factors associated with English as a Foreign Language (EFL) children’s successful acquisition of early literacy skills plays a substantial role in their later reading achievement. To this end, this study examined the relationship between children’s literacy interest in English language learning and factors that may affect this significant research topic (family literacy activities, parents’ reading beliefs, and parents’ educational expectations). To this aim, we used a sequential mixed-methods design for this study. We administered four questionnaires to ۱۰۵ parents, followed by observations of nine classes and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with ۱۵ EFL children aged ۳ to ۵. The results indicated a strong relationship between family literacy activities, parents’ reading beliefs, and children’s literacy interests. However, parents’ educational expectations were not correlated with children’s literacy interest in English language learning. The findings of this study imply that teachers should consider the literacy interest factors which contribute to children’s English learning.

کلیدواژه ها:

Literacy Interest ، Parents&rsquo ، Reading Beliefs ، Child Literacy