Home Learning Activities Research Articles

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

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.

What You Do Versus Who You Are: Home-Learning Activities, Social Origin and Cognitive Skills among Young Children in Ireland

Abstract This article explores the role that home-learning activities (HLAs) play in the relationship between social origin and cognitive development using an Irish birth cohort study, Growing Up in Ireland. Numerous studies using different measures of the home-learning environment (HLE) have shown that it has considerable influence on young children’s cognitive development, and that the HLE is often linked to social origin. We find a social gradient in vocabulary even at age 3 years, with the largest gaps for mothers’ education. Family income, mothers’ education, and social class are also associated with vocabulary independently, though these associations are reduced by adding all three measures simultaneously. The extent of HLAs helps explain a very small part of the education differences and none of the income or social class differences in vocabulary. We find some evidence that HLAs may be more salient for children from families with low income and lower social class backgrounds in terms of supporting vocabulary development, thereby compensating somewhat for disadvantage. HLAs also appear to encourage vocabulary development between age 3 and 5, and play a role in reducing the gap in vocabulary between high- and low-income children.

Disentangling the Relations Between Different Components of Family Socioeconomic Status and Chinese Preschoolers' School Readiness.

Family socioeconomic status (SES) has been frequently linked to children's early development. Treating SES as an aggregated variable has many issues, as different components of SES may relate to child outcomes through divergent mechanisms. The purpose of the study was to examine whether parents' engagement in home learning activities and children's participation in extracurricular activities (EAs) would function as pathways through which individual SES components related to children's school readiness. A total of 588 families with preschool-aged children were recruited from Guangdong province in China. Children's receptive vocabulary, Chinese reading, and early math skills were individually assessed at three time points, and children's social skills were rated by parents. Parents reported their engagement in home learning activities with children and their children's participation in EAs. The results showed that all three components of family SES were related to multiple aspects of children's school readiness, but through different pathways. Parental income was related to children's school readiness through EA participation only; parental education and occupational status were associated with school readiness via both parental engagement and child EA participation. The findings suggest that considering SES components separately will produce a more nuanced understanding of the divergent pathways through which family SES may relate to children's school readiness. Chinese government may provide parent education programs focused on cognitive stimulation for low-SES families to promote children's school readiness. Furthermore, the government needs to ensure children's equal access to EAs to prevent increasing the developmental gap among children from discrepant socioeconomic backgrounds.

Time well spent: Home learning activities and gains in children's academic skills in the prekindergarten year.

Parental engagement in home-based learning activities is linked to children's academic skills. Yet, interventions that try to enhance parental engagement-sometimes targeted to families with low levels of education-have small effects. This study aimed to inform supports for families by examining how different types of home-based learning activities influence academic skills during prekindergarten. We created four measures that assessed the frequency with which parents (N = 307) engaged in unconstrained and constrained language/literacy and math activities at home. Unconstrained language activities predicted gains in children's language skills, and unconstrained math activities were associated with gains in math skills. Both associations were larger for families with lower versus higher levels of parental education. Engagement in constrained activities did not predict gains in skills. Implications for practice and research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Influences of Parent Engagement in Early Childhood Education Centers and the Home on Kindergarten School Readiness

This study examined how practices used by early childhood education (ECE) providers to engage parents (e.g., sending home information about the child), parent school involvement in ECE centers (e.g., volunteering, attending meetings) and parent engagement in home learning activities (e.g., reading, stimulating cognitive development) were linked to children's kindergarten academic readiness. Data were from four-year-old children enrolled in center-based ECE settings in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; N = 2250). Path analyses indicated that ECE parent engagement practices were linked to greater parent engagement in home and school settings. Further, ECE parent engagement practices were indirectly associated with kindergarten academic readiness through increases in the quantity of parent engagement in home learning activities. Connections between ECE and home engagement were strongest for families with low household incomes. These results suggest that facilitating ECE practices to promote parent engagement and increasing home learning activities may bolster children's school readiness.

Supplemental Material for Time Well Spent: Home Learning Activities and Gains in Children’s Academic Skills in the Prekindergarten Year

Supplemental Material for Time Well Spent: Home Learning Activities and Gains in Children’s Academic Skills in the Prekindergarten Year

Mechanisms underlying exposure to partner violence and children's emotional-behavioral difficulties.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) between parents can have a serious impact on children's health, well-being, and development. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between exposure to IPV in the first year postpartum and children's emotional-behavioral well-being at age 10 years, where maternal depressive symptoms and involvement in home learning activities at 4 years mediate this relationship. A second aim was to test for the moderating effects of child gender and economic disadvantage. Data were drawn from 1,385 Australian mothers and children participating in the Maternal Health Study; a prospective longitudinal study of women's health after childbirth. Results revealed that IPV in the first year postpartum was associated with higher maternal depressive symptoms at 4 years postpartum, which was, in turn, associated with children's emotional-behavioral difficulties at age 10 years. These associations remained significant after adjusting for concurrent exposure to IPV and maternal depressive symptoms at 10 years. There was no evidence of moderation by child gender, but there was for economic disadvantage. The associations between early life exposure to IPV, maternal depressive symptoms, and children's emotional-behavioral difficulties were stronger for families experiencing economic disadvantage, while the associations between IPV, maternal involvement, and children's emotional-behavioral difficulties were stronger for those not experiencing disadvantage. These findings can inform prevention and early intervention practices and policies aimed at providing adequate mental health support to women experiencing IPV to minimize the negative impact on children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Parent–Educator Communication Linked to More Frequent Home Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Parent involvement in children’s education has been linked to positive academic and behavioral outcomes. Home-based involvement is especially important for those who may face barriers to being involved at school. Teachers and school directors can encourage home learning activities, but research examining parent–educator communication for preschoolers is not as robust relative to school-aged children. We address whether parent perceptions of parent–educator communication regarding preschoolers’ learning and development is related to the home literacy environment (HLE) and the home numeracy environment (HNE). Participants (n = 262) were drawn from a statewide pre-kindergarten evaluation project aimed at providing early education programming to families with low incomes. The majority of the sample was employed full- or part-time (72.3%), had less than a Bachelor’s degree (88.3%), and children were racially/ethnically diverse (i.e., 39.5% Black, 14.7% Hispanic, 34.9% White, 10.9% other). Multiple regressions were used to examine the relation between parent perceptions of parent–educator communication and children’s home learning environments. Findings indicated that perceptions of parent–educator communication were positively related to the HLE, HNE, and specific learning activities (i.e., naming written letters, identifying letter sounds, reading number books, completing number activity books, learning simple sums, naming written numbers). Findings suggest that efforts to improve parent–educator communication in this domain may yield benefits for children’s learning, although additional research is necessary to determine whether greater parent–educator communication regarding children’s learning and development results in more frequent home learning activities during preschool.

Maternal and Paternal Depressive Symptoms, Home Learning Environment, and Children’s Early Literacy

The present study examined the influence of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms on children's early literacy skills. Home learning-related parenting (HLE) was examined as a mediator of these associations. Families (N = 465) were recruited through preschools. Results indicate an actor effect of fathers', but not mothers', depressive symptoms on HLE parenting such that fathers who reported more depressive symptoms engaged in fewer HLE activities. A partner effect of fathers' depressive symptoms on HLE parenting indicated that higher levels of fathers' depressive symptoms were associated with lower levels of mothers' home learning activities. Finally, fathers' depressive symptoms negatively related to children's early literacy skills indirectly through mothers' HLE parenting. Findings highlight a process of negative effect of parent depressive symptoms on children's early literacy and emphasize including both mothers and fathers in future research concerned with the influence of parents' depressive symptoms on children's development.

Developmental Patterns of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills of Russian First-Graders

This study explores patterns of development in cognitive, as well as social and emotional skills for children in the first year of school in Russia. The data analyzed are drawn from the International Performance Indicators in Primary Schools project. This is a large-scale assessment project involving 2741 children from two Russian regions. A k-means cluster analysis identifies four groups of children according to their cognitive and non-cognitive profiles, assessed at the beginning of the school year. Additional analyses explored how levels of children’s skill in each cluster differed by gender, phonological awareness and receptive vocabulary, maternal education, number of books in the home, parent involvement in home learning activities, and attendance at kindergarten in the year prior to school. The clusters proved to be stable across the end of the school year when a follow-up assessment was completed. The distinctive developmental characteristics of children from different clusters might be used to inform teachers in the first year of school about how they can adapt their teaching approaches to address the distinctive learning needs of different groups of children to reduce educational inequalities through primary school.

Early Shared Reading, Socioeconomic Status, and Children’s Cognitive and School Competencies: Six Years of Longitudinal Evidence

ABSTRACTThis study explored longitudinal associations between early shared reading at 2 to 3 years of age and children’s later academic achievement. It examined the mediating role of children’s vocabulary and early academic skills, and the moderating effects of family’s socioeconomic status. Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n = 4,768). Academic achievement was assessed at 8 to 9 years of age via standardized national test scores of literacy and mathematics achievement. Results indicated that early shared reading was associated with children’s academic achievement directly and indirectly through receptive vocabulary and early academic skills. Also, the frequency of early shared reading predicted the outcome measures, over and above other home learning activities. Associations were stronger among low and middle socioeconomic status groups compared to the high socioeconomic status group. We conclude that shared reading offers unique opportunities for adults to teach young children new words and concepts.

Investigating Maternal Self-Efficacy and Home Learning Environment of Families Enrolled in Head Start

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between mothers’ self-efficacy beliefs, their preschool children’s home learning environments, and literacy skills. A sample of 112 mother–child dyads was recruited from Head Start centers in rural and urban communities. The measures included maternal self-efficacy and maternal perceptions of child’s readiness to read as well as the Stipek Home Learning Activities (SHLA) scale, Home-Learning Environment Profile (HLEP), and the Stony Brook Family Reading Survey (SBFRS). Modeling path analysis was performed. Model fit indices indicated that the resulting model was a good fit for the data. Concerning the direct effects of maternal self-efficacy on home learning environment, positive significant effects for the SHLA measure as well as the HLEP were found. However, no direct effect was found with regard to maternal self-efficacy on SBFRS indicating evidence for the domain specificity of efficacy beliefs. Implications of the study include findings that higher maternal self-efficacy is related to creating a more positive home learning environment. Additionally, higher maternal perceptions of child readiness to read mediates the relationships between higher maternal self-efficacy and a more positive home literacy environment. Moreover, these findings highlight the link between home learning environment and children’s receptive vocabulary skills.

Do young children perceive change in the daily lives of their families during participation in a therapeutic family support programme?

ABSTRACTThis article reports on findings from longitudinal research that explored perceptions of family life for three- to five-year-old children whose families were participating in an intensive, therapeutic family support programme (N = 5) in a disadvantaged community in Sydney, Australia. There were two early childhood comparison groups, one comprising children attending a supported playgroup (N = 2), and another comprising children attending preschool (N = 10). Interviews guided by Ecocultural theory were conducted with each child at three time points to understand their perspectives on everyday home and family life and explore whether or not their perceptions changed over the course of programme involvement. Thematic analysis revealed differences in perceptions of home life for children attending the family support programme compared with comparison group children. In contrast to the family support programme children, comparison group children described moments of love and affection in the parent–child dyad, shared meal times as opportunities to connect as a family, and enjoyment of home learning activities such as shared book reading. On the other hand, siblings played a key role, particularly as play partners, in the home lives of family support programme children. Change over time was found in two of the five family support programme children’s descriptions of home life, such as increased parent–child play and having friends home to play. Little change over time was reflected in the accounts of family and home life for the comparison group children. This article argues for including children’s voices in research on parenting intervention and family support programmes, and including children’s perspectives as one important component in evaluating programme effectiveness.

Impact of a Brief Group Intervention to Enhance Parenting and the Home Learning Environment for Children Aged 6\u201336\xa0Months: a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a group parenting intervention designed to strengthen the home learning environment of children from disadvantaged families. Two cluster randomised controlled superiority trials were conducted in parallel and delivered within existing services: a 6-week parenting group (51 locations randomised; 986 parents) for parents of infants (aged 6–12 months), and a 10-week facilitated playgroup (58 locations randomised; 1200 parents) for parents of toddlers (aged 12–36 months). Each trial had three conditions: intervention (smalltalk group-only); enhanced intervention with home coaching (smalltalk plus); and ‘standard’/usual practice controls. Parent-report and observational measures were collected at baseline, 12 and 32 weeks follow-up. Primary outcomes were parent verbal responsivity and home learning activities at 32 weeks. In the infant trial, there were no differences by trial arm for the primary outcomes at 32 weeks. In the toddler trial at 32-weeks, participants in the smalltalk group-only trial showed improvement compared to the standard program for parent verbal responsivity (effect size (ES) = 0.16; 95% CI 0.01, 0.36) and home learning activities (ES = 0.17; 95% CI 0.01, 0.38) but smalltalk plus did not. For the secondary outcomes in the infant trial, several initial differences favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12 weeks, but not maintained to 32 weeks. For the toddler trial, differences in secondary outcomes favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12 weeks and maintained to 32 weeks. These trials provide some evidence of the benefits of a parenting intervention focused on the home learning environment for parents of toddlers but not infants. Trial Registration: 8 September 2011; ACTRN12611000965909.

Emotional–behavioral resilience among children of first-time mothers with and without depression across the early childhood period

The deleterious effects of maternal depression on child emotional and behavioral development are well documented, yet many children exposed to maternal depression experience positive outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify psychosocial factors associated with the emotional–behavioral resilience of four-year-old children of first-time mothers experiencing depressive symptoms across the early childhood period. Data were from 1085 mother–child dyads in the Maternal Health Study collected prospectively at five time-points from pregnancy to child age four. Longitudinal trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms were identified, and children were regarded as resilient or competent if they scored in the normal range on the Total Difficulties subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We found that 22% of women had a pattern of moderate to high depressive symptoms, and within this group 78% of their children were identified as resilient. Maternal tertiary education and maternal involvement in home learning activities were unique predictors of children’s resilience. Higher maternal age at the time of pregnancy and financial security were factors associated with positive outcomes for all children. The findings highlight the importance of policy and intervention efforts to strengthen the quality of maternal–child interactions and the home learning environment to promote the emotional and behavioral functioning of children whose mothers are experiencing mental health difficulties in the early years of parenting.

Trajectories of parental involvement in home learning activities across the early years: associations with socio-demographic characteristics and children’s learning outcomes

ABSTRACTThis study examined the socio-demographic factors associated with trajectories of parental involvement in shared book reading and other home activities for children aged 2–6 years. The study uses data from 3836 families participating in Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Latent growth curve models were estimated to describe associations between trajectories of parental involvement, socio-demographic factors, and children’s learning outcomes. Higher levels of parental involvement at 2 years were associated with better learning outcomes at 6 years. On average, the frequency of parental involvement in home learning activities decreased over time. Family socio-economic disadvantage and being a male child were associated with lower levels of parental involvement at age 2 years, and more rapid decreases in parental involvement in home activities over time. Continued attention is needed to identify effective strategies that can address inequalities in children’s home learning opportunities before children begin school.

Participation of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in a parent support programme: longitudinal associations between playgroup attendance and child, parent and community outcomes.

Playgroups are a relatively unique form of family support programme that is common in Australia which has high community acceptance and significant government investment. However, limited evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of playgroups to achieve better outcomes for children and their parents. This study describes patterns of playgroup participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with young children and examines the extent to which participation from birth to three years is associated with subsequent child, parent and community outcomes. This study uses three years of longitudinal data for 622 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were participants in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC). Longitudinal associations between playgroup attendance when children were age 2 and 3 years and outcome measures for child vocabulary, motor skills, behaviour problems, prosocial development, parent home learning engagement, resilience, advice-seeking and health service use, and community trustworthiness were examined using path analysis. Rates of playgroup participation in this sample group were generally lower than for Australian children overall. Playgroup attendance when children were age 2 to 3 years was associated with higher parental engagement in home learning activities when children were aged 4 years which, in turn, was associated with stronger expressive vocabulary scores for children. The findings from this study suggest that playgroup participation can enhance the home learning environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Playgroups as a parent support programme hold strong potential to reach and engage families, particularly in areas of high geographic isolation, which can realize improved outcomes for children, parents and communities.

The Development of Reading Skills in Kindergarten Influence of Parental Beliefs About School Readiness, Family Activities, and Children’s Attitudes to School

Children’s early home learning experiences are important influences on children’s adjustment and achievement in the early years of school. This study explores the relationships between parental beliefs about school readiness, family engagement in home learning activities, on children’s attitudes to school as reported by parents, and children’s reading achievement in kindergarten. The analyses draw on data from 3309 children who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of Kindergartners. The analyses use structural equation modeling to test the influence of parent and family influences, including sociodemographic variables on children’s attitudes to school and children’s reading achievement in the kindergarten year. Analyses revealed that parents’ readiness beliefs and family activities were significantly related to children’s reading skills. Family activities were related to children’s attitudes about school, but these attitudes were not related to the development of reading skills. The findings suggest that higher engagement in shared parent–child activities may be an important focus in intentional efforts aimed at enhancing early reading achievement. Early childhood educators and other family practitioners can encourage parents to participate in home activities with their children because these activities encourage language interactions which are important to the development of children’s literacy.

Reading and Mathematics Bound Together: Creating a Home Environment for Preschool Learning

<p>The combination of mathematics and reading in family reading time can positively impact children’s ability to make sense of representations in both mathematics and reading. Four families volunteered to participate in this field based inquiry to learn how to integrate mathematics and reading in parent-supported activities. Four parents and their preschool aged children together attended training sessions to learn and practice how to create a home environment supportive of both reading and mathematics. Each parent completed questionnaires about implementation of the four training sessions with their child. Parent responses were overwhelmingly positive regarding the suggested behaviors for creating a pro-reading/mathematics home environment. Parents reported that the reading and mathematics home instruction activities gave children learning opportunities from combining early mathematics skills and reading skills and they also learned new vocabulary. Home learning activities also helped children learn effortful control skills when reading and talking about mathematics storybooks. There was also rapport building through family conversations that were attributed to parents’ use of instructional activities.</p>

Socioeconomic gradients in school readiness of Chinese preschool children: The mediating role of family processes and kindergarten quality

The current study examined the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on the school readiness of Chinese preschool children in Hong Kong. A total of 69 teachers from 20 kindergartens in both rich and poor districts in Hong Kong rated the school readiness of 567 preschool children using the Chinese version of the Early Development Instrument. Information about home learning activities and kindergarten characteristics was obtained from parents and preschool teachers, respectively. The results indicated a gradient relationship between SES and total EDI scores, with children from higher-SES families rated as being very ready for school on more domains of the Chinese version of the Early Development Instrument than those from lower-SES families. Home learning activities (reading and recreational activities) and teachers’ experience and kindergarten facilities significantly mediated the socioeconomic gradient effects. These findings highlight that efforts are much needed in tackling the developmental disparity and the promotion of better parent–child interaction, teacher quality, and kindergarten facilities might be able to help all children attain their own developmental potential.