The Effect of the Family Type and Home Literacy Environment on the Development of Literacy Skills by Bi-/Multilingual Children in Cyprus

Sviatlana Karpava

doi:10.3390/languages6020102

Abstract

Literacy is a broad term that includes reading and writing abilities, as well as cognitive skills that are socially and culturally constructed. Thus, it is essential to take the family context and home literacy environment (HLE) into consideration when discussing literacy. HLE affects reading and writing development via (in)formal literacy experiences focused on the development of oral language and code skills via exposure, child-centered and instructed activities. In this study, we investigated the effect of the family type (intermarriage/exogamous and co-ethnic/endogamous) and HLE on the development of literacy in bi-/multilingual children in Cyprus. The results of the study, which was based on qualitative methodology (questionnaires, interviews and observations), showed that there was a close relationship between the family type, family language policy (FLP), the HLE and the development of children’s language and literacy skills which, in addition, depended on their socioeconomic status (SES), the level of the parents’ education, life trajectories and experience, linguistic and cultural identities, status in the society, future plans for residency, and the education and careers of their children. Overall, Russian-speaking parents in immigrant contexts realized the importance of (early) child literacy experiences at home, as well as of multiliteracy and multimodality, and attempted to enhance these experiences both in Russian and in the majority language(s), mainly via formal, didactic activities focused on code skills.

Highlights

Literacy is a broad term that includes reading and writing abilities, as well as cognitive skills that are socially and culturally constructed (Gee 2015; Kalantzis and Cope 2015).it is essential to take the family context and home literacy environment (HLE) into consideration when discussing literacy
The results of the study, which was based on qualitative methodology, showed that there was a close relationship between the family type, family language policy (FLP), the HLE and the development of children’s language and literacy skills which, in addition, depended on their socioeconomic status (SES), the level of the parents’ education, life trajectories and experience, linguistic and cultural identities, status in the society, future plans for residency, and the education and careers of their children
The analysis of the data showed that there was a close association of the family type, family language policy, the HLE, the use of languages within and outside of the home, and children’s language and literacy development

Summary

Introduction

It is essential to take the family context and home literacy environment (HLE) into consideration when discussing literacy. HLE affects reading and writing development via (in)formal literacy experiences focused on the development of oral language and code skills via exposure, child-centered and instructed activities (Krijnen et al 2020); individual differences, environmental factors and contact with early childhood education systems (kindergartens and pre-primary schools) should be taken into consideration (Aram et al 2013; Hernandez et al 2007). We investigated the effect of the family type, family language policy (FLP) and HLE on the development of literacy by bilingual/multilingual children in Cyprus. The linguistic and cultural environment of the family (immigrant, minority or multilingual) The richness of the HLE (passive and active) can be indicated by the number of books in the household and the frequency of joint reading activities, as well as by the availability of other educational resources and opportunities for literacy activities focused on receptive and productive skills, and on phonological awareness (Hood et al 2008; Roberts et al 2005).

Methods

Results

Conclusion