Ms Prudence Shai and Ms Shine Aung co-presented a working paper entitled “Examining the reading culture of parents on the reading literacy development of Grade 4 learners”. The study presents a secondary data analysis of the PIRLS 2021 South African dataset. Using the theory of change as its guiding framework, the analysis draws on data from the PIRLS 2021 home questionnaire to explore various aspects of the reading culture within South African households. Specifically, the study examines early literacy activities at home, parental attitudes and perspectives towards reading, the availability of books at home, and the education levels of parents. To analyse the data, the study utilised the International Database Analyser (IDB Analyzer) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to identify statistical significance and correlations between key variables. The findings offer valuable insights into the current state of literacy practices among South African families. Moreover, based on these findings, the study proposes actionable strategies to improve reading literacy proficiency in South African homes. It emphasises the importance of fostering a shared commitment to reading within families and cultivating a robust reading culture. The study also suggests that a supportive environment for literacy development can be created, ultimately contributing to improved reading comprehension and academic success for learners.