Harmonizing Parental-School Initiatives to Enhance Pupils’ Literacy Skills in Public Primary Schools: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Parental engagement plays an important role in supporting pupils’ literacy development, particularly through learning activities that connect the home and school environments. This study examines how parental initiatives can be harmonized to enhance pupils’ literacy skills in public primary schools. Specifically, the study aimed to identify the major parental initiatives used to enhance pupils’ literacy skills and to synthesize the factors that facilitate the implementation of these initiatives. The study employed a systematic literature review approach, drawing on empirical studies from global, African, and Tanzanian contexts. Relevant literature was identified through academic sources using key terms related to parental engagement, home-based learning, literacy development, parent–teacher communication, learning materials, and parental training. The reviewed literature was analyzed thematically according to the study objectives. Findings indicate that major parental initiatives include home-based reading, storytelling, homework support, provision of learning materials, parent–teacher communication, and parental capacity building. The review further shows that the implementation of these initiatives is facilitated by parents’ knowledge and skills, availability of learning resources, cooperation between parents and teachers, and school-based guidance and training. The findings suggest that parental initiatives can provide stronger and more consistent support for pupils’ literacy when they are connected around common learning goals rather than implemented as separate activities. The study concludes that harmonizing home-based learning, learning materials, parent–teacher communication, and parental capacity building can strengthen collaboration between families and schools and create supportive learning environments for pupils’ reading, writing, comprehension, and communication skills.