Is There a Connection Between Parental Modeling and Attitudes Regarding Reading and Student Achievement in the Intermediate Grades (3-5)?

This study examines the impact parents/ family involvement and modeling may have on the academic performance and attitude a child has towards reading. Participants include third, fourth and fifth graders from a small Title I school in a suburb west of Chicago. A qualitative descriptive survey, which includes a commitment to participate in a family involvement reading intervention program, is given to every student/family. Due to the lack of students/families willing to participate in an intervention program, qualitative survey results and quantitative reading data is exclusively examined to measure impact of family involvement in the reading curriculum. Educators can use this model to develop their own questionnaires to gather family information. Background information can help teachers understand their students better in order to differentiate instruction in the classroom and help identify possible curricular changes needed to further promote lifelong readers.