Maternal socio-ecological antecedents and children’s school readiness

ABSTRACT

Objective

This study aimed to examine the effects of maternal demographics, interaction quality, and children’s gender on school readiness using different informants.

Method

Participants recruited for this study included 25 kindergarten teachers, 271 mothers, and their kindergarten children (169 girls and 102 boys with a mean age of 4.28 years). Mothers were asked to provide demographic information and complete a questionnaire regarding their interaction quality with their children. Kindergarten teachers assessed children’s school readiness.

Results

Structural equation modelling was employed to examine two layers: the effect of maternal antecedents on maternal interaction quality, and the role of maternal antecedents, maternal interaction quality, and child’s gender on school readiness. The results indicated that maternal interaction quality was affected by maternal age, family size, and working hours. Maternal interaction quality, maternal education, and child’s gender were triadic modalities found to be associated with school readiness.

Conclusions

This study provides additional insights into the socioecological factors that shape children’s academic outcomes and emphasizes school readiness as a salient factor affirming school entrance affected by multiple factors that may not solely depend on the child. This may ensure the requirement for comprehensive and inclusive directions concerning school readiness.

KEYWORDS:

• School readiness
• maternal interaction
• socioecological factors
• family size
• maternal education

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the mothers, children, and teachers who participated in this study. We are also grateful to the reviewers for their thoughtful input.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical standards

The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committees on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.