Article Sidebar

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 55 Download : 21

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Main Article Content

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions of parents adhering to the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy regarding the use of living books in fostering literacy engagement among children. A total of 119 parents participated in this study, selected through purposive sampling based on specific inclusion criteria: their active practice of the Charlotte Mason method and experience in reading living books aloud to their children. The participants predominantly comprised mothers (79.8%), aged between 21 and 50 years, and were predominantly residing in urban areas throughout Indonesia. Employing a quantitative descriptive research design, data were collected through a self-constructed questionnaire consisting of 38 items categorized into four dimensions: perceptions of the benefits of reading living books aloud, reasons for encouraging children to retell stories, rationale for selecting living books, and methods of reading living books. The questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms, and the collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS version 26. The results indicated that respondents possessed highly positive perceptions regarding the cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of reading living books aloud to children. Additionally, parents perceived the practice of asking children to retell stories as beneficial for enhancing language skills, self-confidence, and narrative abilities. The study revealed that living books play a significant role in fostering deep literacy engagement and socio-emotional development in early childhood. The findings provide significant insights for educators, parents, and policymakers in designing effective literacy programs that integrate living books as an essential pedagogical tool and resources.

Keywords

Charlotte Mason early childhood education literacy engagement living books parent perceptions

Article Details

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
How to Cite
Mustapa, N., Syarah, E. S., Risnawati, E., Pramitasari, M., & Kassim, S. K. (2025). Unlocking Imagination through Living Books: A Case Study on Deep Literacy Engagement in Early Childhood within a Charlotte Mason Community in Indonesia. Atfaluna Journal of Islamic Early Childhood Education, 8(1), 15-33. https://doi.org/10.32505/atfaluna.v8i1.11136

References

  1. Asmayawati, A. (2023). Parental Involvement in Mattering Early Childhood Digital Literacy: The Role of Balanced Screen Time and Access to Technology Evidence From Indonesia. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 06(11). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i11-30
  2. Barnes, E. M., & Puccioni, J. (2017). Shared Book Reading and Preschool Children’s Academic Achievement: Evidence From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort. Infant and Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2035
  3. Black, J. E., & Barnes, J. (2015). The Effects of Reading Material on Social and Non-Social Cognition. In Poetics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2015.07.001
  4. Cheyney-Collante, K. (2021). Twenty-Five Books a Day: Literacy Events in Subsidized Childcare. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 23(4), 586–616. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687984211010273
  5. Dicataldo, R., Rowe, M. L., & Roch, M. (2022). “Let’s Read Together”: A Parent-Focused Intervention on Dialogic Book Reading to Improve Early Language and Literacy Skills in Preschool Children. Children, 9(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/children9081149
  6. Dowdall, N., Cooper, P., Tomlinson, M., Skeen, S., Gardner, F., & Murray, L. (2017). The Benefits of Early Book Sharing (BEBS) for Child Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Development in South Africa: Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial. Trials, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-1790-1
  7. Edwards, L. C., Bryant, A., Keegan, R., Morgan, K., & Jones, A. (2016). Definitions, Foundations and Associations of Physical Literacy: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine, 47(1), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0560-7
  8. Ewing, R., Callow, J., & Rushton, K. (2016). Language and Literacy Development in Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781316442791
  9. Ferreras, A. P., Alvarado, J. M., Gutierrez, A. P., & Maureira, J. F. C. (2023). An Application of Cognitive Diagnostic Models in the Evaluation of Reading Comprehension in Chilean University Students. In Suma Psicológica. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumapsi.2023.v30.n1.5
  10. Gillanders, C., & Barak, M. (2022). In Their Own Words: Parents’ Voices About a Book-Provision Program. In Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687984221108267
  11. Hasibuan, S., Humaizi, H., Lubis, L. A., & Pohan, S. (2024). Promoting Media Literacy Among Early Childhood Education: A Case Study in Deli Serdang Regency, Indonesia. Revista De Gestão Social E Ambiental, 18(5), e06961. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n5-136
  12. Huang, Y. (2019). Parent-Child Reading: More Than to Improve Children’s Reading. Oalib. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1105359
  13. Lee, E. J. (2021). Relationship between ‘Language and Emergent Literacy’ before School Age and Literacy Performance Levels for First and Second Graders: Data Mining Decision Tree Model Analysis. Communication Sciences and Disorders, 26(3), 568–588. https://doi.org/10.12963/csd.21834
  14. Luo, R., Tamis‐LeMonda, C. S., & Mendelsohn, A. L. (2019). Children’s Literacy Experiences in Low‐Income Families: The Content Of Books Matters. In Reading Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.263
  15. Michelson, S. (2022). Children’s Agency When Experiencing Family-Related Adversities: The Negotiation of Closeness and Distance in Children’s Personal Narratives. In Qualitative Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250211066823
  16. Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G., & de Jong, M. T. (2009). Interactive Book Reading in Early Education: A Tool to Stimulate Print Knowledge as Well as Oral Language. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309332561
  17. Niland, A. (2023). Picture Books, Imagination and Play: Pathways to Positive Reading Identities for Young Children. In Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050511
  18. Okumura, Y., & Kobayashi, T. (2021). Effects of Maternal Picture Book Knowledge on Language Development of 15‐month Olds. Infant and Child Development, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2291
  19. Papailia, A. (2023). Hypertextual Innovation in Evgenios Trivizas’ the 88 Dolmadakia. In Reci Beograd. https://doi.org/10.5937/reci2316124p
  20. Pecukonis, M., Yücel, M. A., Lee, H., Knox, C., Boas, D. A., & Tager‐Flusberg, H. (2025). Do Children’s Brains Function Differently During Book Reading and Screen Time? A fNIRS Study. In Developmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13615
  21. Pennell, A. E., Wollak, B. A., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2017). Respectful Representations Of Disability in Picture Books. In The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1632
  22. Preece, J., & Levy, R. (2018). Understanding the Barriers and Motivations to Shared Reading With Young Children: The Role of Enjoyment and Feedback. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798418779216
  23. Sénéchal, M., & LeFevre, J. (2002). Parental Involvement in the Development of Children’s Reading Skill: A Five‐Year Longitudinal Study. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00417
  24. Shigemasu, K., Kono, M., Ikemoto, S., & Akabayashi, H. (2024). Causal Effect of Parental Reading on Later Development of Children: Demonstrating a Bayesian Approach. In British Journal of Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12482
  25. ULUĞ, E. E., & Tekmen, B. (2023). A Study on Exploring Preschool Teacher Practices and Preferences in Using Early Literacy Activities. Karadeniz Uluslararası Bilimsel Dergi, 58, 100–116. https://doi.org/10.17498/kdeniz.1310035
  26. Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child Development and Emergent Literacy. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.2307/1132208
  27. Zhai, Y., Xie, H., Zhao, H., Wang, W., & Lu, C. (2023). Neural Synchrony Underlies the Positive Effect of Shared Reading on Children’s Language Ability. In Cerebral Cortex. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad293