Parental Attitudes Towards Initial Literacy in the Vernacular Languages of Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to gather data on a number of factors thought to be associated with successful initial literacy in the vernacular languages of two villages of Papua New Guinea. Information was sought on the bio-social backgrounds of the families taking part in the programme, the literacy environment of the home, the attitudes of parents towards literacy in the vernacular, and the general approaches taken to initial literacy in both the preschool and the home. Matupit village in East New Britain province and Maiwala village in Milne Bay province of Papua New Guinea were the two locations chosen for the fieldwork. Analysis of the data indicated that parents who had enroled their children in the community preschool fully supported the idea of initial literacy in the vernacular for a variety of cultural, pedagogical and language maintenance reasons. Although parents had little contact with the local preschool, and limited access to print resources, they were able to report some planned literacy events with their children, as well as the home use of literacy in the domains of art, letter writing, and naming activities. A major advantage of the vernacular path to literacy was seen to lie in the prospect of children becoming literate within the culture of their homes as a first step towards literacy development through English and the national languages of Papua New Guinea.