Parental Strategies in Fostering Children’s Literacy Habits in the Digital Era: A Qualitative Study of Urban Families

Authors

  • Dinda Ayu Kusumaningrum Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga
  • Ahmad Fikri Ramadhan Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga
  • Melati Puspita Anjani Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51903/80n8kf55

Keywords:

family literacy, parental strategies, digital era, urban families, qualitative study

Abstract

This study examined parental strategies in fostering children’s literacy habits in the digital era within urban families. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving 12 families with elementary–school–aged children. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, limited observations, and supporting documentation, and were analyzed using thematic analysis through systematic coding, categorization, and theme development. The findings identified four principal strategies: structuring a home literacy environment, negotiating digital device use, positioning reading as a relational activity, and adapting literacy routines to time constraints shaped by urban work patterns. The results indicated that sustained literacy habits were formed through integrated, dialogic, and adaptive practices rather than rigid technological control. Family literacy in the digital era emerged as a socially negotiated practice embedded in everyday routines and influenced by urban dynamics. The study contributes conceptually to the development of the home literacy environment framework in digital contexts and offers practical implications for family-based literacy programs.

References

Altun, D., Erden, F. T., & Hartman, D. (2021). Preliterate Young Children’s Reading Attitudes: Connections to the Home Literacy Environment and Maternal Factors. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50, 567–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01177-2

Amelia, R., Zamzani, Mustadi, A., Ghufron, A., Suriansyah, A., & Aslamiah. (2023). Parental Involvement in Digital Learning: Mother’s Experiences of Elementary School Students. Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., 17, 118–135. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i10.38253

Bergen, E., Zuijen, T., Bishop, D., & De Jong, P. (2017). Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children’s Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal. Reading Research Quarterly, 52, 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.160

Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 5–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271

De Bondt, M., Willenberg, I., & Bus, A. (2020). Do Book Giveaway Programs Promote the Home Literacy Environment and Children’s Literacy-Related Behavior and Skills? Review of Educational Research, 90, 349–375. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320922140

De Dios, I. R., Oosten, J., & Igartua, J. (2018). A Study of the Relationship Between Parental Mediation and Adolescents’ Digital Skills, Online Risks and Online Opportunities. Comput. Hum. Behav., 82, 186–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.012

Deitcher, D. B., Aram, D., & Itzkovich, I. (2021). Alphabet Books: Relations Between Aspects of Parent-Child Shared Reading, Children’s Motivation, and Early Literacy Skills. Reading Psychology, 42, 388–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888344

Dong, Y., Wu, S., Dong, W., & Tang, Y. (2020). The Effects of Home Literacy Environment on Children’s Reading Comprehension Development: A Meta-analysis. Kuram Ve Uygulamada Egitim Bilimleri, 20, 63–82. https://doi.org/10.12738/jestp.2020.2.005

Georgiou, G., Inoue, T., & Parrila, R. (2021). Developmental Relations Between Home Literacy Environment, Reading Interest, and Reading Skills: Evidence From a 3-Year Longitudinal Study. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13589

Hemmerechts, K., Ağirdağ, O., & Kavadias, D. (2017). The Relationship between Parental Literacy Involvement, Socio-Economic Status and Reading Literacy. Educational Review, 69, 101–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2016.1164667

Imam, S. H., Belay, T. D., Husse, K. Y., Ahmad, I. S., Abdulmumin, I., Umar, H. A., Bello, M. Y., Nakatumba-Nabende, J., Yimam, S. M., & Muhammad, S. H. (2025). Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for African Low-Resource Languages: A Systematic Literature Review. 1. http://arxiv.org/abs/2510.01145

Kaluarachchi, Y. (2022). Implementing Data-Driven Smart City Applications for Future Cities. Smart Cities. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities5020025

Kucirkova, N., & Flewitt, R. (2020). Understanding Parents’ Conflicting Beliefs about Children’s Digital Book Reading. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22, 157–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420930361

Kumpulainen, K., Sairanen, H., & Nordström, A. (2020). Young Children’s Digital Literacy Practices in the Sociocultural Contexts of Their Homes. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20, 472–499. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420925116

Lou, J., Wang, M., Xie, X., Wang, F., Zhou, X., Lu, J., & Zhu, H. (2024). The Association between Family Socio-Demographic Factors, Parental Mediation and Adolescents’ Digital Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Public Health, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20284-4

Lusby, S., & Heinz, M. (2020). Shared Reading Practices between Parents and Young Children with Down Syndrome in Ireland. Irish Educational Studies, 39, 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2020.1729836

Marsh, J., Hannon, P., Lewis, M., & Ritchie, L. (2017). Young Children’s Initiation into Family Literacy Practices in the Digital Age. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 15, 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x15582095

Moreno-Morilla, C., Guzmán‐Simón, F., & García-Jiménez, E. (2021). Digital and Information Literacy Inside and Outside Spanish Primary Education Schools. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 28, 100455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2020.100455

Niklas, F., Wirth, A., Guffler, S., Drescher, N., & Ehmig, S. (2020). The Home Literacy Environment as a Mediator Between Parental Attitudes Toward Shared Reading and Children’s Linguistic Competencies. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01628

Ommen, S., Mital, S., Burke, M., Day, S., Deswal, A., Elliott, P., Evanovich, L., Hung, J., Joglar, J., Kantor, P., Kimmelstiel, C., Kittleson, M., Link, M., Maron, M., Martinez, M., Miyake, C., Schaff, H., Semsarian, C., & Paul, S. (2020). 2020 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000938

Poveda, D., Matsumoto, M., Sundin, E., Sandberg, H., Aliagas, C., & Gillen, J. (2020). Space and Practices: Engagement of Children Under 3 with Tablets and Televisions in Homes in Spain, Sweden and England. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20, 500–523. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420923715

Purnama, S., Wibowo, A., Narmaditya, B., Fitriyah, Q. F., & ‘Aziz, H. (2022). Do Parenting Styles and Religious Beliefs Matter for Child Behavioral Problem? The Mediating Role of Digital Literacy. Heliyon, 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09788

Riawan, T., Haji, A., Zulian, M. R., & Karunia, A. (2022). Strategi Orang Tua yang Bekerja dalam Mendidik Anak Usia Dini. Education : Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Dan Pendidikan, 2(3), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.51903/EDUCATION.V2I3.281

Rico-Juan, J., Peña-Acuña, B., & Navarro-Martínez, Ó. (2024). Holistic Exploration of Reading Comprehension Skills, Technology and Socioeconomic Factors in Spanish Teenagers. Heliyon, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32637

Sciacca, B., Laffan, D., Norman, J., & Milosevic, T. (2021). Parental Mediation in Pandemic: Predictors and Relationship with Children’s Digital Skills and Time Spent Online in Ireland. Computers in Human Behavior, 127, 107081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107081

Šilinskas, G., Sénéchal, M., Torppa, M., & Lerkkanen, M. (2020). Home Literacy Activities and Children’s Reading Skills, Independent Reading, and Interest in Literacy Activities From Kindergarten to Grade 2. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01508

Sonnenschein, S., Stites, M., & Ross, A. (2021). Home Learning Environments for Young Children in the U.S. During COVID-19. Early Education and Development, 32, 794–811. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2021.1943282

Soyoof, A., Reynolds, B. L., Neumann, M., Scull, J., Tour, E., & McLay, K. (2023). The Impact of Parent Mediation on Young Children’s Home Digital Literacy Practices and Learning: A Narrative Review. J. Comput. Assist. Learn., 40, 65–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12866

Terras, M. M., & Ramsay, J. (2016). Family Digital Literacy Practices and Children’s Mobile Phone Use. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01957

Tınmaz, H., Lee, Y.-T., Fanea-Ivanovici, M., & Baber, H. (2022). A Systematic Review on Digital Literacy. Smart Learning Environments, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00204-y

Torppa, M., Vasalampi, K., Eklund, K., & Niemi, P. (2021). Long-Term Effects of the Home Literacy Environment on Reading Development: Familial Risk for Dyslexia as a Moderator. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 215, 105314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105314

Wijayanti, S. (2020). Indonesian Students’ Reading Literacy. 61–65. https://doi.org/10.2991/icracos-19.2020.13

Zhang, X., Wang, M., Shu, H., & Xia, Z. (2025). Brain Structural Connectivity and Morphological Awareness Mediate the Association Between Home Literacy Environment and Reading Outcomes in Children With Family History of Reading Difficulties. Developmental Science, 28 5. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.70056

Downloads

Published

2025-03-30

How to Cite

Parental Strategies in Fostering Children’s Literacy Habits in the Digital Era: A Qualitative Study of Urban Families. (2025). Education : Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Dan Pendidikan, 5(1), 46-56. https://doi.org/10.51903/80n8kf55