Relationships Among Parental Self‐Efficacy, Home Learning Activities, and Child Skills

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate relationships among parental self‐efficacy, home learning activities, and children's socioemotional and language skills for preschool children.BackgroundHigher parental self‐efficacy is often related to better child skills and with more home learning activities. However, the relationships between parental self‐efficacy, home learning activities, and children's skills have not yet been investigated.MethodThe path models draw on data from 727 parents of preschool children (full sample: 85.1% female, 50.9% employed, 24.8% non‐German family language) and a subsample of 108 parents of preschool children who soon transition to elementary school in Germany. The self‐report data come from the German evaluation study “Language Daycare Centers.”ResultsWe found significant positive links among (a) general parental self‐efficacy with home learning activities and children's language skills, (b) language supporting parental self‐efficacy with home learning activities and children's socioemotional skills, and (c) a negative link between language supporting parental self‐efficacy and children's socioemotional problems.ConclusionThe more self‐efficacious parents felt, the more often they offered home learning activities and the higher they rated their children's language skills at age 5 years.ImplicationThe findings highlight the importance of parental self‐efficacy for engaging with children and the positive parental assessment of children's skills. Promoting parental self‐efficacy might stimulate home learning activities and improve the home learning environment.