Parental Action to Support Children’s English Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

Parental support is an essential factor contributing to children's acquisition process. This study aimed to investigate the action of parental support in children's English vocabulary acquisition. This study was designed as a descriptive qualitative study. Five parents from different educational backgrounds and professions and five-year-old young learners were chosen as participants in this study. Interviews and observation were employed to obtain the data. The data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews and field notes. The data collected was then analyzed using five steps of qualitative data analysis proposed by Creswell and Creswell. The results showed four parental actions to support children's English vocabulary acquisition. Parents from different educational backgrounds and professions provided various ways to be involved in their children's English vocabulary acquisition. They were motivating the children to learn English, providing media exposure, monitoring the children using digital media, and assisting the children at home. It is proven that parents can support their children in acquiring English vocabulary in a variety of ways; therefore, it is suggested that all parents who have young learners support their children's English acquisition process.