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From the Annuls of History
Mother’s Day: Celebrating Mothers as the Elixir of Children’s Literacy

 

By Tom Sticht, International Consultant in Adult Education (Ret.)

Sunday May 14, 2023 is Mother’s Day in the United States. Adult literacy educators have long known about the importance of educating mothers or mothers-to-be for the educational development of children. Here is a small selection of articles and other published works spanning almost a century demonstrating the importance of mother’s education on the subsequent development of children by their children.


1929 - Stewart, C. (1929). Mother’s First Book: A First Reader for Home Women. (Available online using a Google search).  In 1929, Cora Wilson Stewart, founder of the famous Moonlight Schools of Kentucky, wrote a book called “Mother’s First Book: A First Reader for Home Women.” The lessons are centered around the home and the daily activities … they aim not only at teaching women to read and write, but at leading them to better home practices and higher ideals in their home and community life” (Stewart, 1929, pp. 5-6).  

1990 - Sticht, T. & McDonald, B. (1990). Teach the Mother and Reach the Child: Literacy across  Generations. Literacy Lessons, UNESCO. Online at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED321063
Significant reductions in adult illiteracy can be achieved most cost-effectively by focusing more resources on the education of women. These monies contribute not only to women's development but also to the educational achievement of their children. Educated mothers have more influence on their children's education; the children become literate adults who, in turn, produce more educable children. Maternal education also has an effect on fertility rates and the mortality and health of children. The contribution of educated mothers to the cognitive and language skills of preschool children gives the children an advantage and continues to affect their educational success.


2012 - LeVine, R., LeVine, S., Schnell-Anzola, B., Rowe, M., & Dexter, E. (2012.Literacy and Mothering: How Women’s Schooling Changes the Lives of the World's Children. Oxford University Press. Online at: https://academic.oup.com/book/3384
Data are presented on the literacy skills and maternal behavior of mothers in four countries – Mexico, Nepal, Venezuela and Zambia – finding that literacy and language skills acquired in school were retained into a woman’s child-bearing years, that literacy mediates the effect of schooling on a mother’s comprehension of health messages in print and broadcast media and on her health navigation skill … Literacy also influences mothers’ tendencies to talk and read to their young children. (see review of book online at: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/12/09/illiteracy)

 

Sticht, T. (2018), Educating mothers to increase family literacy. Online at: https://www.proliteracy.org/Blogs/Article/373/Educating-Mothers-to-Increase-Family-Literacy
Research by Wider Opportunities for Women found that mothers enrolled in basic skills (literacy, numeracy) education, often integrated with job training, reported that they spoke more with their children about school, they read to them more, they took them to the library more and so forth. These increases in cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors of the mothers’ children happened even though there was no teaching of these types of parenting activities. These types of changes in the parenting behaviors of the mothers was obtained for free as a spin-off of adult basic skills programs. 

  2022 – Lyesmaya, D., Musthafa, B., & Sunendar, D. (2022. The Role of Mother’s Education and Early Skills in Language and Literacy Learning Opportunities, International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. Online at: https://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/5752
Mother’s education and learners’ early abilities were positively correlated with learners’ language and literacy learning opportunities. Learners who have mothers with a high level of education receive significant opportunities to learn language and literacy compared to those with mothers with a low level of education. Therefore, their language skills are superior…. Mother’s education and child’s early skills really help children in language and literacy learning.

 

2023 – Yu, S. (2023). The Influence of Mothers’ Educational Level on Children’s Comprehensive Quality. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences. Online at: https://drpress.org/ojs/index.php/EHSS/article/view/4461
Effects  of mothers’ education on the comprehensive quality of children in three dimensions: Firstly, with regard to physical quality, mothers’ education level strengthens the prevention and treatment of illness and diseases and also fosters a healthier living lifestyle for children. Secondly, mothers’ education level benefits the development of children’s cognitive quality, individuality quality, and adaptability quality. Thirdly, children’s science and cultural literacy are affected by educated mothers.

Yu’s paper sums up many reasons for celebrating the contributions of mothers to the literacy development and other developmental outcomes of children:

 

“In conclusion, mothers with higher educational attainment can promote the comprehensive quality of their children and help support the sustainable development of society.”

 

Thanks for everything, Moms!

 

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