Exploring the Influence of Parental Involvement on the Reading Skills of the Learners

Abstract

This study examined the varying forms of parental involvement related to the oral reading skills of Grade One learners in selected schools in Cebu during School Year 2024–2025. Guided by Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Epstein’s Framework of Parental Involvement, and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, and aligned with RA 9155, RA 10533, and RA 7348; the research employed a quantitative descriptive–correlational design. Forty parent respondents, stratified across two Grade One sections, completed a researcher-adapted questionnaire based on Setiawati et al. (2019), along with a profile sheet covering; age, gender, parents’ educational attainment, number of siblings, and family income. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and weighted mean) were used to profile households and parental involvement practices, while the chi-square test (χ², α = 0.05), was employed to determine the association between parental involvement and learners’ oral reading levels. Results showed that families were predominantly from lower-middle- to low-income groups with one to two children, and most parents reported active engagement through supervising schoolwork, fostering conducive study environments, and maintaining school–home communication. However, statistical analysis indicated no significant relationship between overall parental involvement scores and learners’ oral reading skills. The findings suggest that while parental participation is valuable, there must be purposeful alignment with classroom instruction and evidence-based reading practices to translate into measurable performance gains. In response; the study proposes an action plan featuring parent literacy workshop; structured reading-at-home routines, strengthened school–parent conferences, and community reading activities to better synchronize home support with early-grade literacy instruction.