Home Literacy Environments and Young Hispanic Children's English and Spanish Oral Language

Abstract

The authors examine dimensions of the home literacy environment relative to oral language outcomes for high-risk Hispanic children. They also illustrate the use of commonality analysis for understanding the contribution of home literacy to oral language outcomes. Forty-eight children and their families participated in the study. Commonality analysis was used to determine what percentage of the explained variance in both English and Spanish oral language was associated with variance uniquely and commonly accounted for by five subscales of the Familia Inventory, a questionnaire that examines home literacy environments. Library Use accounted for the greatest amount of unique variance in English oral language proficiency, and Extended Family accounted for the greatest amount of unique variance in Spanish oral language proficiency. Significant positive relationships were also noted between several of the Familia Inventory subscales. A discussion on the use of commonality analysis is followed by limitations and suggestions for future research.