Involvement with reading activities at home has significant positive influences on children’s reading achievement, language comprehension and expressive language skills Gest et al., 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (200 – 300 words) Express your thankfulness for the people who help you complete this work ABSTRACT (no more than 250 words) Summarize the steps you follow and the main findings of this work CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION (1,000 – 1,500 words) INTRODUCTION In an era characterized by rapid globalization and digital interconnectedness, proficiency in the English language serves as a gateway to endless opportunities The dynamic nature of the globalized world underscores the importance of effective communication skills, with English often assuming the role of a universal language that facilitates cross-cultural understanding and collaboration As of 2023, approximately 1.5 billion individuals worldwide spoke English either as a native or second language (Dyvik, 2023 ) The acquisition of English as a second language is a widespread phenomenon, with an estimated billion people projected to be learning English by 2020, according to the British Council Moreover, the Organization of Ibero-American States carried out a study that reported in 2020, that 95% of all articles published in scientific journals were written in English, solidifying its status as a hegemony language in academia and scientific research This linguistic dominance extends to technology and innovation, where English is integral in fields such as information technology and engineering since numerous programming languages and technological advancements are expressed in this language The global influence of English also is evident in its role in literature, movies, music, and media English proficiency is also essential for educational pursuits at prestigious institutions worldwide Recently, EAP programs have started at tertiary institutions in English-speaking countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which require students to meet language proficiency requirements before starting their studies In diplomatic circles, English is a crucial tool employed in international conferences, negotiations, and communications Additionally, English catalyzes cross-cultural collaboration, fostering cultural exchange and understanding among individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds In essence, the significance of English on a global scale is multifaceted, influencing various aspects of our interconnected world Therefore, the capacity to communicate in English has become essential for employees seeking jobs in today's globalized culture, particularly in global businesses or organizations In Vietnam, over 50% of management jobs in different sectors require applicants to perform advanced English communication skills to negotiate and present their organizations to overseas clients and potential business partners (Doan & Hamid, 2019) Acknowledge the significance of English for kids' future achievement Allowing kids to learn English at a young age—between three and six or seven years old—is a concept that is gaining popularity in Asian nations, particularly those in Southeast Asia In Vietnam, there is a growing trend of parents seeking to introduce their preschoolers to English According to information gathered from an online poll conducted by the Vietnam National Foreign Language Project Management Board, as of April 2018, over 20% of non-public schools and over 75% of public preschools across the country planned programs to support English language learning for young children This is a 20.3% increase from 2017 to 2018, a 26.4% increase from 2016 to 2017, and a 30.5% increase from prior to 2015 Hanoi in particular, 396 preschools spread over 12 districts and a total of 49,980 preschoolers are participating in experimental programs designed to assist them become more familiar with the English language Therefore, children's English proficiency becomes one of the top priorities for parents Besides school-provided programs, the English learning market has gained significant growth with various products and services Along with technology advancements and the Internet explosion, recently, it has been accessible to massive English learning methods and resources However, at the initial stage of young children, it is impossible for them to shape a suitable learning mindset Therefore, adults' assistance in serving as an instructor for children is necessary Many research has shown that parental involvement in education leads to greater student success in their education in general and English acquisition in particular Involvement with reading activities at home has significant positive influences on children’s reading achievement, language comprehension and expressive language skills (Gest et al., 2004) Research has been conducted on how parents' engagement affects their children's acquisition of English language competency The involvement of parents encouraged their kids to learn English, especially their guidance at home (Castro et al., 2015; Wilder, 2014) In the research of “Influence of parental involvement on their children’s education and their academic achievement in English language”, it is concluded that the extent to which parents participated in their children's education had a major impact on their academic performance in the English language In order to significantly improve pupils' academic performance in the English language, parents must take an interest in and collaborate with their children's education In consideration of the vital role of familial support in children's language acquisition process, our paper explores the potential of a groundbreaking product designed to engage both parents and children in shared linguistic exploration This collaborative approach is not only expected to foster a supportive learning environment but also strengthen the bonds between generations Our research begins by delving into the existing literature on language learning strategies for adults and children, examining the interplay between familial dynamics and language acquisition By identifying gaps and opportunities, the project lays the groundwork for the development of the product, emphasizing the significance of collaborative learning experiences within the family unit 1.1 Rationale for the Project (~800 words) 1.1.1 Parental involvement’s efficacy in children’s learning outcomes Children's academic progress does not only occur inside school With parental intervention, schooling can be extended out of school scope Children can learn from their parents, family members, and their home environment in addition to formal educational institutions like schools Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's learning outcomes Numerous research has shown that parental involvement in education leads to greater student success in their education and positive parents' contribution to children 's school success and academic growth ( (Epstein, 1995; Jeynes, 2007; Fane, 2019; Otani, 2020; Xiong et al., 2021) Children who have greater parental involvement in their schooling tend to perform better academically than children who experience less parental involvement (Gan, Y., & Bilige, S 2019; Duan et al., 2018) On the other hand, Children who fared badly in academic tests had parents who were less inclined to be involved (Xiong et al., 2021) It also is demonstrated that there is a correlation between young and pre-adult students' greater academic success and their parents' engagement (Reynolds & Clements, 2005) Involvement with reading activities at home has significant positive influences on children’s reading achievement, language comprehension and expressive language skills (Gest et al., 2004) In the research of Parental participation has good and substantial impacts on early childhood education, according to Fujiwara , with parental involvement, children are more regulated, empathic, highly motivated to learn, and lack the amount of despair that is common among kids who are studying at home thanks to parental love, direction, and pleasant communication 1.1.2 Parental involvement’s efficacy in children’s English acquisition Based on research, it has been shown that parental involvement in children's learning has positive effects Theoretically, parental involvement will have a positive influence on children's learning of a new foreign language The time children spend in school and exposed to formal educational environments will often not be as much as the time they spend at home Therefore, children's language development will also be relatively influenced by the family environment More parental involvement will have an impact on children's second language development because it can help expand the scope of this language's application beyond the school environment Many research suggests that parental involvement has a considerable effect on children’s L2 learning and development (Panferov, 2010; Xuesong, 2006; Fear et al., 2012) In the context of ESL (English as a Second Language) learning, parental involvement becomes even more significant Data from A Correlational Study on the Seventh Grade Students of MTs Ar-Rahman Jakarta Academic have shown that the higher parents‘ involvement, the better English achievement that students will get (Sumanti & Muljani, 2021) Parental involvement boosted children's self-efficiency in learning a second language by inspiring them to learn in a natural setting at home and providing encouragement during play (Sumanti & Muljani, 2021) Their usage of English at home strengthens and increases their children's imitation and repetition of English, which focus on English also impacts the school environment, with students enthusiastically sharing topics with friends, encouraging English learning Parental aspirations for improved communication within the family, enhanced academic support for their children, and increased employment opportunities are key driving factors behind the decision to learn English (Anderson, 2014; Kim, 2018) Students whose parents have a high level of participation in and positive attitudes toward their children's English language programs encourage their children to reach greater levels in the language program (Hosseinpour, Sherkatolabbasi & Yarahmadi., 2015) 1.1.3 Family experience with parental participation’s effect on children's development Parents are children's first care-giver, therefore, family cohesion in early childhood education is associated with not only academic skills, mental development but also social improvement Numerous studies have shown that family cohesiveness can aid in addressing the individual psychological problems that have an impact on mental health (Morgan, Mize & Robertson., 2017; Zeng et al., 2021; Nabayinda et al., 2023) Families that have strong cohesiveness experience less stress, have higher levels of life satisfaction (Lin & Yi, 2019), and have better mental health (Morgan, Mize & Robertson., 2017; Zeng et al., 2021; Rivera et al., 2008) Additionally, previous research has shown a correlation between family cohesiveness and a decreased incidence of maladaptive behavioral outcomes throughout development (Leidy, Guerra, & Toro, 2010; Hong et al., 2021) Moreover, there are numerous studies that indicate the relationship between children’s well-being and the time their parents spend with them More frequent contact between family members is believed to be related to children's healthy sense of well-being (Carvalho et al., 2021; Savahl et al., 2019 Li & Guo., 2022) The leisure time and educational interactions time fathers spend with children positively affect children’s well-being (Li & Guo., 2022) Additionally, as stated by the study "Children's health-related life-styles: how parental childcare affects them," time usage by parents and their kids is associated, according to Bonke, J., and Greve, J There was a positive relationship between the amounts of time that parents spend on exercise with children It is also indicated that parental time use on some healthy activities affects children’s lifestyle behavior more than parental child care 1.1.4 Obstacles to parental involvement Rencently, along with the development of modern society, working laboration tend to have less time for their children, especially time for instructing them to study Beside time limitation, parents meet several restrictions when involving in children's education support Common challenges, including time constraints, access to resources, and balancing family commitments ( Li, 2017; Rahman, 2019) Parents indicated that one of the biggest challenges they faced was that English was a foreign language for them as well Most parents barely use English outside the classroom setting and decrease the frequency of the usage of this language as they get older , which causes difficulty for them in supporting their children (Epstein, 2018; Murshidi et al., 2023; Saputri, Fadhilaturrahmi and Fauziddin, 2022; Triutami & Muljani, 2021) The majority of parents stated that they are unable to communicate with their children at home due to their limited proficiency in English (Madima & Makananise , 2021) and their inability to reach the necessary resources (Epstein, 2018) Their parents' inability to inspire their kids to study English, leading to children's lack of motivation, was another persistent issue The subject's difficulty for the kids and parents themselves contributed to this issue (Murshidi et al., 2023) Anxiety was brought on by the parents' struggles with their kids' lack of interest in school, as well as the kids' lack of interest in the subject matter 1.1.5 Conclusion To sum up, in the light of recognition of the benefits of increasing parental involvement in children's English accomplishment and children's mental growth as well, this project aims at developing a product that assists parents in getting involved in their children's English acquisition and further enhances the tie between two generations 1.2 Project Objectives (~150 words) First of all, this project attempts to improve the quality of foreign language learning for Vietnamese children in particular, and the foreign language quality of Vietnamese people in general by creating a learning method that attracts and motivates children who are new English learners At the same time, "Our family's English journey" has the desire, in addition to studying, to also help parents and children have more time together, hence creating positive impacts on children's mental development Not just a learning method, but also a means of connecting parents and children Therefore, followings are Project Objectives: Find out the challenges and difficulties of parents in the process of learning English with their children Create a draft of the product to meet needs as well as solve those problems for parents Design the product in the form of a calendar with a beautiful, eye-catching design Design prize stickers to accompany the product to help create excitement for children Create community group to connect those parents on Facebook 1.3 Scope of the Project 1.3.1 Project Goals Project aims to create a calendar to help parents and young people who are just starting to learn English participate in the challenges attached to each day Each day the calendar is designed in an eye-catching way to create excitement for the children, along with a reasonably designed program too At the same time, the challenges will vary from indoor to outdoor activities, from traditional to digital forms to attract children Included with the calendar are rewards and badges to motivate and encourage the children 1.3.2 Deliverables of project ● The answer for following question: a What hinders parents when they want to tutor their children in studying? b Which learning activities can involve children and parents? c What activities help children enjoy learning more? ● An English learning roadmap that is suitable for children and their parents ● A nice-designed calendar that includes content of the learning roadmap ● List of reference learning resources ● A common community on social networks 1.3.4 Project constraints ● COST: This is a new product The process to bring a product to market includes market research; sample; design; manufacture; testing and promotion So the cost for this project is very significant Especially since the target market of the product is very wide, the estimated costs will be very high ● TIME: The project is expected to be carried out in months from January to May 2024 in order to meet the year TESTING process, so the gantt chart is overlapping Therefore, the project schedule will be tight and there is a risk of schedule delays ● RISK: This is a completely new product and there seems to be no competition in the market However, because it is a new product, reaching customers and expanding the market is a challenge 1.4 Significance of the project Vietdata reports that our nation's economy is increasingly embracing "openness," aligning with the global trend of globalization Vietnam, like many other countries, is deeply involved in this trend The government's open-door policies, particularly its accession to the WTO, have attracted substantial support and investment from developed nations such as the US, Japan, UK, Australia, and Germany All transactions with investors from these countries primarily occur in English (Lam et al., 2012), emphasizing the necessity for Vietnamese professionals to enhance their foreign language skills, particularly in English, to effectively engage in lucrative opportunities within foreign enterprises Despite this, the proficiency of Vietnamese individuals in English remains limited From 2019 to 2021, Vietnam consistently ranked among countries with low English proficiency, according to the Education First (EF EPI) report As of 2024, Vietnam holds the 54th position globally and 7th in Southeast Asia, yet the overall proficiency level remains average This language deficit has led to an expanding demand for English education across various age groups and academic disciplines, surpassing the traditional focus on younger students or those requiring English for international certifications or study abroad Statistics from the General Statistics Office indicate a growing population of million preschoolers, 17 million high school students, and over 1.5 million tertiary- level students, all contributing to the increasing need for English education In response to this demand, the government has been actively promoting foreign language education, notably through the National Foreign Language Project 2020 Initially budgeted at VND 1,060 billion for 2008-2010, VND 4,378 billion for 2011- 2015, and VND 4,300 billion for 2016-2020, the project primarily aims to enhance the teaching and learning of foreign languages, predominantly English, at all educational tiers This project is currently under revision, extension, and supplementation until 2025, with the objective of ensuring that 100% of non-language major university students meet the required standards upon graduation (level according to the 6-level Foreign Language Competency Framework for Vietnam) Recognizing the importance of English proficiency in preparing children for international communication environments, many parents are enrolling their children in English programs from an early age, laying the groundwork for future proficiency and advanced learning opportunities Along with the excitement of the Vietnamese English market, the market for English learning products is also blooming According to Metric.vn's report, the English Book market in 2024 has total sales of 70.0 billion VND and quarterly growth of -40.1%