Contributions of the home literacy environment to preschool‐aged children’s emerging literacy and language skills

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and logitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated that (a) parental literacy habits were positively associated with parental reading beliefs, (b) parental reading beliefs were positively associated with parent–child literacy and language activities in the home, and (c) parent–child literacy and language activities were positively associated with children’s print knowledge and reading interest. Parental demographic characteristics were associated with children’s expressive and receptive language skills. The results highlight how different components of the home literacy environment are associated with different components of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language abilities, findings that become more important as educators and policy‐makers look for ways to enhance children’s literacy and language development.

Keywords:

• Language
• Literacy
• Parent–child literacy and language activities
• Parental demographics
• Parental literacy habits
• Parental reading beliefs

Acknowledgement

This research was supported in part by Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station #06055303.

Notes

1. DeBaryshe (1995) treated children’s interest in reading as a mediating variable in her model. In the present study, we examined children’s interest in reading as a distinct component of children’s literacy and language skills because that is how it is often viewed in research (for example, Baker et al., 1997).