In this paper, we studied the influence of parents' education on children's selection of literature in relation to the Ciciuhec, beremo z malčki reading project (en. Ciciuhec, We Read with the Little Ones). The paper comprises a theoretical and an empirical part. In the theoretical part, we defined reading and family literacy. Based on findings of different studies, we determined that, according to the majority of results, parents' education does influence literacy development in children and the selection of literature offered to children by their parents. Since this is a continuous process, early reading literacy of children has an important influence on school participation and thus school performance. In order to define the term quality literature, we have to examine lists of recommended books, drawn up by a competent person or institution. An important aspect of quality literature is also quality illustrations, as they are most commonly the first contact between children and fine arts as well as they help children imagine what the book is about. Since before our Common Era, fairytales have had an important role in creating children's identity, as they affect their psychological development, help develop their personality and assume a specific role in the educational process. Kindergarten teachers as professionals who participate in children's literacy development, selection of literature and establishment of children's relationship with literature and libraries as a space where children can find books both have a very important role and responsibility. When planning literary education, kindergarten teachers can use the Kindergarten Curriculum, which presents and describes ways and possibilities of planning quality literary activities. Libraries, on the other hand, plan and host activities where you can socialise with fellow readers. Organised by the Ljubljana City Library in cooperation with the Slovenian Reading Badge Society, the Ciciuhec, beremo z malčki reading project is a project that encourages family reading and thus reading literacy development. It is an example of cooperation between the said institutions, uniting kindergarten and the library in a single joint project. In the empirical part, in order to present our results more transparently, we divided parents into two groups in terms of their education. According to the survey results, parents are aware of the importance of reading to children and discussing the story with them at an early stage. Parents with higher education qualification read to their children more times a week and go to the library more often than parents with lower education qualification, whereas the time spent reading per week is the same for both groups of parents. Parents most commonly select a book based on its illustrations, and parents with higher education qualification base their selection of books also on their title. As quality books, parents identified typical fairytales and works by renowned Slovenian authors, while parents with higher education qualification stated works by foreign authors as well. Parents are familiar with the Ciciuhec, beremo z malčki reading project, and their children will mostly attend the event. The book to be presented is most commonly selected by children. Preparation time for book presentation depends on the book’s complexity; children mostly take for preparation a few days to one week, some children need more time, while others do not prepare at all. The books presented in the context of this project are mostly written by foreign authors. Parents and children normally do not select books included in the list of recommended books for the 2021–2022 Ciciuhec, beremo z malčki reading project, while a half of parents of younger children select books from the list of recommended books with the 2004–2020 Golden Pear quality label. We determined that the family environment is usually the first and foremost environment where reading habits are developed. Considering the latest studies showing that over the years parents have read to their children less and less commonly, we should find ways in which professional workers could make parents aware of the importance of reading. A broader public should be included, too, as it has an important role in the promotion of reading habits. In doing so, we could improve the level of the reading culture and give literature the place it deserves.
|
