The effects of rurality on parents’ engagement in children’s early literacy

Investigations of urban-rural context on children’s educational experiences have produced somewhat inconsistent findings, but one thing is clear, parent engagement in children’s early learning positively impacts academic outcomes. Research identifying conditions that uniquely influence parents’ early engagement in learning and literacy in rural settings are needed. An illustrative example of a study investigating the effects of rurality on parent engagement and children’s literacy using a nationally representative dataset (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, ECLS-B; n = 6550) is discussed. Contextual differences in parents’ use of technology and community resources and children’s reading scores were revealed. The important role of technology and structural characteristics of rural communities in young children’s early literacy development was demonstrated; however, further research is needed to better understand the impact of these and other contextual influences. A proposed agenda for future research in this area is discussed.