The relationship between bilingual parent’s involvement in supporting children's literacy and numeracy skills and academic performance

<p dir="ltr">Parental involvement and experiences in fostering children’s literacy and numeracy development is a crucial issue in Australia’s diverse linguistic landscape. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), 29.5% of people in major cities speak a language other than English at home. Despite this significant statistic, current literature on the impact of language background on parental involvement in children’s literacy and numeracy skills—and its subsequent effect on academic achievement—remains scarce.</p><p dir="ltr">This study aimed to fill this gap through a mixed-methods approach, with a focus on the involvement of bilingual parents. An online survey was conducted to assess parental involvement, utilising closed-ended questions related to formal and informal literacy and numeracy activities, while open-ended questions qualitatively explored parents' experiences. Parents were also asked to provide their children’s NAPLAN results as a measure of academic achievement. Quantitative analysis of the survey data revealed trends in parental involvement in literacy and numeracy activities and their relationship with children’s outcomes as indicated by NAPLAN results, comparing both bilingual and monolingual groups. The findings suggest that bilingual parents' involvement is closely linked to their children’s educational outcomes, highlighting the importance of understanding these dynamics in a multicultural context. Qualitative insights illuminated the nuanced experiences and challenges faced by parents. Recommendations for future research include ensuring equal sample sizes for both bilingual and monolingual groups to gain a robust understanding of the similarities and differences between these two groups.</p>