Comparing teachers’ and parents’ perspectives on early childhood literacy education

This study comparatively analyzes how teachers and parents perceive early childhood literacy education and support. The participants consisted of 188 kindergarten teachers and 221 parents of children aged three to five. Results showed first that teachers and parents strongly recognized the critical role of language development in the order of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Second, regarding support for early childhood literacy education, teachers aimed to strengthen the balance between support for oral and written language as children aged, maintaining both aspects throughout the developmental stages. However, parents changed their assistance approach according to children’s age, focusing more on oral language help for younger children and gradually shifting to written language support as children grew older. This study is significant because it reveals meaningful differences in how teachers and parents perceive and approach early childhood literacy education. It also emphasizes the importance of a shared understanding of early childhood literacy development and, based on this understanding, seeks to explore future directions for more effective parental support.