Parental Involvement in English as a Foreign Language Learning: A Systematic Review

Abstract

As educational paradigms shift to emphasize collaborative learning, the role of parents in language education has transformed significantly, underscoring the vital intersection between home and school. The objective of this systematic literature review is to analyze the literature on parental participation in their children’s education in English as a foreign language (EFL) class in elementary schools in Asian countries. This review entails searching, screening, evaluating, and synthesizing publications on parental engagement from several electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Taylor & Francis, ERIC, Mendeley, and Google Scholar. The publications included in the analysis were published within the last five years (2020-2024). The results of this systematic review reveal that research across various Asian EFL contexts has consistently highlighted a detailed understanding of parental engagement, spanning emotional support, active involvement in learning activities, and strategic collaboration with educators. The reported results exhibit their children’s improved proficiency and motivation in language learning. However, while many parents demonstrate a keen awareness of their crucial influence on their children’s language acquisition, barriers such as limited English proficiency, lack of time, and culturally-perceived beliefs constrain their active participation. To mitigate these obstacles, it is necessary to adopt tailored pedagogical approaches and guidance that empower parental engagement and forge stronger support networks, ultimately fostering collaborative educational environments conducive to children’s language development.