New Zealand parents/caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about child language development

Abstract

ABSTRACT Language-rich experiences in early childhood play a critical role in a child’s language development, academic success and well-being. This study aimed to understand New Zealand parents/caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about language rich experiences and child language development. A survey was developed and distributed online using Qualtrics. Items sought information about participants’ demographics, perceived influences and sources of information about child language development. Participants were asked to indicate ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with 30 statements on child language development using a five point Likert-type scale. Five hundred responses were analyzed. The participant sample was skewed towards those with higher levels of education. Participants showed strong general knowledge of the importance of interpersonal interaction in developing language. The importance of early vocabulary development on children’s learning trajectories was not well understood. Levels of parent/caregiver education were correlated with higher accuracy on child language development items. Approximately half the participants had sought information on child speech/language development, with health professionals and the internet being the most commonly used sources. Education opportunities for parent/caregivers on how to maximize child language development in the preschool years may be indicated.