Family Involvement in the Initial Literacy Process in Multigrade Classrooms

Time constraints in multigrade classrooms render the family a mandatory stakeholder in the initial literacy process. This study aims to examine parents' experiences with the literacy process in multigrade classrooms and the pedagogical barriers they encounter. The research utilised a phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods; data were collected through semistructured interviews with parents whose children attended multigrade classes in rural Edirne and were analysed via content analysis. The findings indicate that parents lack knowledge of the "phonics-based sentence method", cause cognitive confusion in children through traditional methods, and fall short in their role as "assistant teachers" due to agricultural workloads. Consequently, the family's cultural capital and pedagogical equipment directly shape academic achievement in multigrade classrooms and deepen inequality of opportunity. The study recommends organising applied-method workshops for parents and disseminating digital support content.