Home and school factors in early English language development

ABSTRACT

The current study explored the home and school factors that are important for Singaporean pre-schoolers’ (N = 1440) early English development from K1 to P1. Language input quantity and quality factors at home (e.g., number of English books,) and at school (e.g., instructional support in class) were used to predict children’s English vocabulary and word reading development using linear mixed-effects models. Children’s internal factors (e.g., non-verbal reasoning) were controlled. The results revealed that children who had more English input and higher input quality at home demonstrated faster receptive vocabulary growth. Children’s word reading skill was more influenced by the English input quality at home. Children who were frequently read to in English demonstrated faster development in word reading competence. Mother’s educational level also mattered: higher maternal education was associated with faster growth in reading skill. The length of time children stayed at school and teachers’ qualification also significantly and positively associated with children’s English learning. These findings indicate the substantial contribution of the home literacy environment to Singaporean children’s early English language development, compared to the quality of teacher-child interactions in preschool. The necessity of more parental involvement in early English language learning at home is discussed under the realm of usage-based theory.

KEYWORDS:

• Early English language education
• input quantity
• input quality
• home language environment
• teacher qualification
• instructional quality
• usage-based theory

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the research assistants of the SKIP project for their help with data collection and coding. This study was funded by Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Education Research Funding Programme (OER 09/14 RB) and administered by National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Education Research Funding Programme (grant number: OER 04/19 RB) and administered by National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE.

Notes on contributors

He Sun

He SUN is Research Scientist at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Her major research interests are 1) individual differences in early bilingualism, 2) child heritage language maintenance with paper book and eBook reading, and 3) harmonious bilingual experience. Her research is about how cognition and environment co-shape the developmental rate and route of early bilingualism, and how the bilingual experience influences children’s social-emotional skills and executive function. More information about her work can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/He_Sun6 and at https://www.sunhe-sabrina.com/.

Ee Lynn Ng

Ee Lynn NG is Research Scientist at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Ee Lynn’s research focuses on understanding the influence of cognitive factors on learning and development in early childhood. Her work has mainly focused on children’s self-regulation skills and academic anxieties. She also has an interest in the external factors (e.g., quality of the child’s learning environment, teachers’ stress and well-being) that contribute to children’s learning and development.