Family Context Assessment to Promote Language and Reading Abilities in 6-Year-Old Children

Abstract

Within a bioecological model, research works over the past decades have shown the significant influence of family micro systemic variables on child development. This study is aimed to test the factorial structure of the Haezi-Etxadi Family Assessment Scale (HEFAS-6), designed to detect protective family factors for language and reading development through the assessment of family context quality. The sample of this study consisted of 127 children aged 5 to 7 and their families. The factorial structure and the internal consistency of the data were analyzed. Results of the exploratory factor analysis (principal components with varimax rotation) showed the emergence of four factors: promotion of cognitive and linguistic development, promotion of socio-emotional development, family system strain and parental profile fostering child development. This structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency indices showed acceptable values. In conclusion, the tool shows good potential to assess the quality of the family context in the field of the promotion of reading and linguistic skills in educational, clinical and social intervention settings and through the implementation of evidence-based parenting policies.