Child and parent characteristics, parental expectations, and child behaviours related to preschool children's interest in literacy

Abstract

The current study examined the relations between children's literacy interest and parent and child characteristics (i.e. parents' education level and child's gender), parental expectations of their child's school attainment and achievement and the child's positive and problem behaviours. Participants were 61 preschoolers from predominately low‐income families enrolled in local preschool programmes. Parents completed questionnaires reporting demographic characteristics, parents' expectations and their child's literacy interest. Preschool teachers reported on children's behaviours in the classroom using standard behaviour‐rating scales. Child gender was marginally related to child literacy interest, but parent education was not significantly correlated with interest. Parents' expectation of their child's school achievement was significantly correlated with child literacy interest, but parental expectations about attainment were not. Overall, teachers' reports of children's positive and problem behaviours were correlated with child literacy interest in the expected direction. Interpretation and implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.

Keywords:

• literacy
• interest
• preschool
• parental expectations
• child behaviour
• child gender

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a Kontos Fellowship awarded to the second author by the Center for Families at Purdue University. The authors wish to thank the Center for Families for their support, as well as the preschool centres, teachers, children and families who participated in this project. Thanks also to Karen Diamond for helpful comments on an early version of this manuscript.