Sources of heterogeneity in the home learning environments of socioeconomically disadvantaged families

Abstract

This study examined characteristics of children, parents, and families that predict additional variability in home learning activities over and above income and parental education. Specifically, I used data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009) to examine how SES components and child, parent, and family contextual factors predicted the home learning environment. Variable-centered analyses revealed that characteristics of children (e.g., prior vocabulary skills), parents (e.g., age), and families (e.g., number of parents in the home) significantly predicted parents' support for home learning. Additionally, person-centered analyses indicated that these processes primarily operated independently. These findings demonstrate that factors across ecological levels contribute to the home learning environment, although effect sizes were small. Thus, context likely plays a role in explaining individual differences in how low-SES parents support their young children's learning.