Mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs: associations with home literacy experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study intends to extend previous work by examining associations between literacy-related beliefs and home literacy experiences during the transition from preschool to Grade 1, taking maternal education into consideration. Fifty-seven Portuguese children and their mothers participated. Data about families’ sociodemographic characteristics, home literacy environment, mothers’ interactive behaviours during storybook reading, and mothers’ literacy beliefs were collected in two moments during home visits. Overall results indicate that mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs are variables of particular interest for understanding home literacy experiences. Together, mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs explained a moderate proportion of the variance in reported and observed home literacy experiences, when children were at the end of preschool education, and one year later, when children were at the end of Grade 1. Moreover, findings reveal that mothers’ literacy beliefs contribute independently to the quantity and quality of home literacy experiences after controlling for maternal education. These findings have implications for professionals who have the responsibility of working with families to increase the likelihood of academic success, particularly in contexts that serve children at-risk for reading failure.