Home Literacy Research Articles

The influence of home literacy environment on children’s literacy and language development: A systematic review

The influence of home literacy environment on children’s literacy and language development: A systematic review

Supplemental Material for Domain-Specific and Cross-Domain Effects of the Home Literacy and Numeracy Environment at 3 Years on Children's Academic Competencies at 5 and 9 Years

Supplemental Material for Domain-Specific and Cross-Domain Effects of the Home Literacy and Numeracy Environment at 3 Years on Children's Academic Competencies at 5 and 9 Years

IMPROVING HOME LITERACY SKILLS OF PARENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The first years of human life are critical in all developmental areas. In these years, shared family experiences, social interaction, and safe, responsive, and nurturing environments provided to a child constitute the determining factor in their future life. The home environment is considered to be a place where the foundations of language and literacy skills are stimulated for many children. The COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the whole world, has caused non-formal education to be carried out remotely and via digital tools to an unprecedented extent. This situation has necessitated parents to be more aware of the possibilities of the home environment and its impact on children and to better understand the importance of taking responsibility. However, very few scholars in this pandemic situation have pointed out how language and literacy opportunities can be offered in the home environment, which is the first place of education for children. Therefore, this study aims to increase parents' home literacy skills and attitudes in order to develop opportunities and resources for children's participation in literacy-related interactions. Over a semester, 11 preschool and 12 first-year elementary school parents participated in this action research from Buca district of Izmir province in Turkey. Before implementing the action plans, parental attitudes towards home literacy competencies were assessed using a semi-structured survey prepared by the researchers. After the action plan, the parents’ developmental status and attitudes towards home literacy were again evaluated with a semi-structured survey, and all data were analyzed using descriptive, percentage, frequency, and Cramer V analysis methods. According to the results, the action plan steps had a positive impact on raising awareness of the home literacy environment, building language and literacy activities, and supporting extension skills in essential language development (listening/watching, speaking, reading, and writing).

The home literacy environment mediates effects of socio-economic status on infant vocabulary development.

It is well attested that high socio-economic status (SES) is associated with larger vocabulary size estimates in young children. This has led to growing interest in identifying associations and mechanisms that may contribute to this relationship. In this study, parent-child reading behaviors were investigated in relation to vocabulary size in a large-scale study of linguistically and socio-economically diverse families. This study sampled 902 infants in Singapore, a multilingual society. Both single-language (dominant and non-dominant) and dual-language vocabulary size estimates were obtained and related to family SES, demographic details, and home literacy activities. Results demonstrated that both single-language (dominant and non-dominant) and dual-language infant vocabulary size estimates were predicted by parental education levels. Further analyses revealed that parent-child book reading activities mediated the relationship between parental education and infant vocabulary size. Findings suggest that shared book reading may narrow effects of socio-economic disparities on early language development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Socio-economic status (SES) was examined in relation to infant vocabulary size in a linguistically and socio-economically diverse setting. Mediating effects of the home literacy environment on infant vocabulary size were measured. Socio-economic factors, notably parental education, had both direct and indirect effects on vocabulary size. The home literacy environment mediated effects of SES on infant vocabulary size.

Importance of Home in the Literacy Process of Child

A type of human service known as an intergenerational program (IGP) involves regular, planned contacts between people of different ages for the benefit of all participants. Children enter school with widely variable levels of emerging literacy, and it is generally known that these levels are an important indicator of subsequent literacy and, consequently, of academic performance in general. Children's early competency development is significantly influenced by the home learning environment. Children's language comprehension and production are particularly tightly related to the early home literacy environment (HLE), which is made up of all literacy materials and family interactions that enhance children's linguistic and literacy learning. Shared reading is a crucial component of the HLE and should begin in a child's early years and become a regular part of family life. However, little research has been done on the impact of the HLE and a child's interest in literacy on later literacy skills. In this review study, we investigated the importance of Home in the literacy process of child and how different aspects in home effect the literacy capability of child.

Exploring Parents' Attempt to Conduct Home Literacy Practices for Their Children

In Indonesia, it is quite hard to find a study that raised the topic of home literacy even though the topic is very important to discuss. This research will provide an overview of how parents in Indonesia carry out home literacy practices with their children. Thus this research aimed to explore the types of home literacy practices by Indonesian parents. The researcher collected the data through an interview via Zoom meeting as a method of this research. The data were transcribed and codified under the theory of Burgees, Hect, and Lonigan (2002). For analyzing the data, the researcher uses a thematic analysis. From the findings, it can be known that the mother played a big role in the sustainability of home literacy. While the father’s role in supporting and teaching the Quran or reciting Surah. There are four roles in conducting home literacy as performed by the parents. These are the limiting environment, the literacy interface, the active home literacy environment, and the passive home literacy environment.

Home and school interventions aided at-risk students' literacy during Covid-19: a longitudinal analysis.

We examined whether different parent- and teacher-related factors had an effect on at-risk children's reading development during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Seventy Grade 1 English-speaking Canadian children (28 females, 42 males; M age = 6.60, SD = 0.46) who were at-risk for reading difficulties were administered word and pseudoword reading, nonverbal IQ, and phonological awareness tasks before the school closures (February 2020; Time 1). Reading tasks were administered again when they returned to school in September 2020 (Time 2). In April-May 2020, their parents (n = 70) and teachers (n = 40) filled out a questionnaire on the home literacy environment and the frequency of teaching reading and providing reading materials, respectively. Results of multilevel regression analyses showed that children's reading enjoyment and home learning activities predicted both word and pseudoword reading at Time 2. Differentiation of instruction for struggling readers also predicted children's pseudoword reading at Time 2. These findings reinforce the important role of parents in their children's early reading development particularly when the typical agents of instruction (i.e., teachers) have less time and opportunities to interact with their students because of the pandemic.

Investigating Parental Beliefs and Home Literacy Environment on Chinese Kindergarteners’ English Literacy and Language Skills

Investigating Parental Beliefs and Home Literacy Environment on Chinese Kindergarteners’ English Literacy and Language Skills

Factors Affecting Early Literacy Learning Spaces of Young Children: The Context of Home Literacy in Saudi Arabia

This study explores the factors affecting the early literacy learning spaces of young children in home environments in Saudi Arabia from mothers’ perspectives. A qualitative research methodology was used. In-depth and semi-structured interviews with 15 mothers of young children (2–5 years old) were conducted. A coding approach was used to analyze the qualitative data, which revealed three themes: (1) direct factors that influence the early literacy learning space at home, (2) indirect factors that influence the early literacy learning space at home, and (3) challenges in creating early literacy learning spaces at home. Several pedagogical implications are suggested at the end of this study that could be useful to parents and caregivers who want to support and improve their children’s early literacy learning spaces.

Newspaper Reading in Families with School-Age Children: Relationship between Parent-Child Interaction Using Newspaper, Reading Motivation, and Academic Achievement.

The present study aims to observe the patterns of newspaper subscription and reading and further explore the structural relationship between parent-child interactions, children's reading motivation, and academic achievement in families with school-age children. Online surveys were administered to 1361 parents of elementary students from grade 1 to 6 across South Korea. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS to conduct frequency analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping analysis. Results showed the following. First, 17.0% of households subscribed to a newspaper, 28.5% of parents read paper newspapers, and 97.1% of parents read online newspapers. Second, parent-child interaction using newspapers had an indirect effect on children's academic achievement through the mediating effect of reading motivation. Overall results revealed the functions of newspaper as part of home literacy environment and the newspaper's positive contribution to a child's reading motivation and academic achievement.

The Effect of Parental Absence on Children’s Literacy Development: A Case Study of a Fourth-Grade Elementary School Student

The research analyzed the parental role in the literacy development of a fourth-grade Midwestern elementary school student in the United States of America. The subject selection was based on the beginning of the year assessment, which showed an early second-grade literacy level. Data were collected through observation and in-depth interviews with the homeroom teacher, reading specialist, and the subject for one semester. The observation notes, and interview transcriptions were coded. The four emerging themes were the subject’s literacy level, parental background, the caregiver’s literacy belief and behavior, the home literacy environment, and the subject’s literacy interest. The analysis showed that parental absence affected the subject’s lack of motivation in facing academic challenges and literacy difficulties. Low motivation led to low academic achievements, including literacy. The caregiver, which was the grandfather, did not display his parental role in reinforcing the subject’s literacy. A home literacy-rich environment was not created. The caregiver did not expose the subject to literacy-related activities at home. Meaningful conversation on literacy activities and achievements was not made between the caregiver and the subject, which was suggested to be the factor that caused the subject’s difficulties in processing and delivering information. The limited parental support by the caregiver on the subject’s literacy activities and resources was analyzed to be the instrumental factor that caused the subject’s difficulties in reading and writing.

Impact of home literacy environment on literacy development of children with hearing loss: A mediation model.

Reading presents an unsolved difficulty for children with hearing loss and research on factors influencing their literacy development is very limited. This work aimed to study the influence of home literacy environment (HLE) on literacy development of children with hearing loss and explore possible mediating effects of reading interest and parent-child relationship. 112 Chinese children with hearing loss were surveyed for scales of HLE, literacy development, reading interest, and parent-child relationship. Result analysis showed that HLE significantly predicted literacy development of children with hearing loss and this effect was no longer significant after including reading interest and parent-child relationship as variables. Further, HLE significantly predicted reading interest and parent-child relationship, each of which predicted literacy development and played a significant mediating role in HLE’s influence on literacy development. These findings provide educational tips for families of children with hearing loss.

Investigation of the Reading Motivations of Preschool Children: A Multiple Regression Study

The study primarily aimed to examine how the reading beliefs and home literacy environments predict the child’s early reading motivation. The sub-objective of this study was determined as to whether this prediction differed according to the educational level of the mother, the time the child allocated for reading in a day, and the time the child read during the day. In the first stage stratified sampling was used and, in the second stage, the purposive sampling method was used. The sample group of the study consisted of 556 parents who had children between the age of 36-72 months and whose children enrolled preschool education. Personal Information Form, Parent Reading Belief Scale, Home Literacy Environment Scale, and Perceived Motivation Scale for Reading Picture Story Books for Children were used as data collection tools. The obtained data were analyzed by using the multiple regression analysis methods. According to the results, it was seen that the parent reading belief and home literacy environment predicted the child’s reading motivation. Also, this prediction differed according to the education of the mother, the time the child allocated for reading in a day, and the time the child read during the day. The results obtained have the potential to guide preschool parents, teachers, and field experts.

Exploring Parents' Attempt to Conduct Home Literacy Practices for Young Learners

In Indonesia, it is quite hard to find a study that raised the topic of home literacy even though the topic is very important to discuss. This research will provide an overview of how parents in Indonesia carry out home literacy practices with their children. Thus, this research aimed to explore the types of home literacy practices by Indonesian parents. The researcher collected the data through an interview via Zoom meeting as a method of this research. The data were transcribed and codified under the theory of Burgees, Hect, and Lonigan (2002). For analyzing the data, the researcher uses a thematic analysis. From the findings, it can be known that the mother played a big role in the sustainability of home literacy. While the father’s role in supporting and teaching the Quran or reciting Surah. There are four roles in conducting home literacy as performed by the parents who had the same level of education and from middle and upper economic background. These are the limiting environment, the literacy interface, the active home literacy environment, and the passive home literacy environment.

Home-Visiting in a Shared Reading Intervention: Effects on Children from Low SES and Ethnic Minority Families

ABSTRACT Research Findings: In this study, we examined the short- and long-term effects of Reading Express, a home-visiting intervention in which volunteers encourage low socio-economic status and ethnic minority parents to engage in interactive shared reading with their child. Outcomes of a quasi-experiment involving 176 children in the Netherlands (mean age 72 months; nexperimental = 95; ncontrol = 81) revealed favorable outcomes of Reading Express for children’s home literacy environments (i.e., children’s book exposure and parents’ reported shared reading frequency), which were maintained over time. Reading Express also had a positive short-term effect on story comprehension. However, the positive trend in story comprehension leveled off 20 weeks after program termination and there were neither short-term nor long-term effects on receptive vocabulary. Practice or Policy: Our results show that longer-term changes can be made in children’s home literacy environments by means of home visiting programs such as Reading Express, but they also suggest the relevance of better adapting programs to the characteristics and needs of participating families.

“Literacy is everywhere!”: using digital technology to broaden how parents view the home literacy environment

Parent–child engagement in constrained (e.g., learning alphabet letters or sounds) and unconstrained (e.g., storytelling, defining words) literacy activities are central components of the home literacy environment. Unconstrained activities are particularly important for children’s oral language and support school readiness. Yet, many parents do not recognize that unconstrained activities can promote learning. This study examines whether an immersive tool can help parents recognize the importance of unconstrained activities and how to embed learning into everyday home routines. N = 76 middle- to lower-income parents of three-year-old children were randomly assigned to a control condition or immersive “literacy scavenger hunt” where they self-explored opportunities to engage in unconstrained activities within everyday routines. The scavenger hunt was associated with an increase in parents’ endorsement of unconstrained activities and verbal communication within parent–child interactions. Results are discussed in terms of intervention approaches that build adult capacity around supporting children’s early literacy.

From stories at bedtime to a love of reading: Parental practices and beliefs About reading with infants

Although it is well established that reading with young children supports early language and literacy development, few studies have focused on the importance of parental beliefs about reading with infants. The current study, which sheds light on parental beliefs had three main aims. The first was to examine practices of shared reading in infancy (birth to 1 year old), while the second, sought to examine parents’ views on benefits of and potential barriers to reading with infants. The third aim was to explore how parents’ beliefs about reading, and their own enjoyment of reading, may influence the early home literacy environment they create for their infants. Drawing upon a mixed methods approach, comprising surveys and interviews with parents of infants ( n = 31), this paper highlights the importance of parents’ own enjoyment of reading. The findings, which are considered from a bioecological perspective, indicate that parents’ enjoyment of reading was significantly and positively associated with the number of children’s books in their home, and the frequency of reading with their infant, as well as their hope for their child’s future enjoyment of reading. Parents noted that one of the main benefits of reading with their infants related to socio-emotional development and the one-to-one time, rather than the language and literacy benefits, which constitute the focus of much research in this area. The findings further point to an intergenerational transfer of a love of reading.

Latent Classes of Home Literacy Interactions and Literacy Environment, and Differences in Reading Attitude in Young Children

본 연구에서는 만 5, 6세 자녀를 둔 가정의 문해상호작용과 문해환경에 따른 잠재유형을 분류 및 확인하고, 잠재유형에 따라 유아의 읽기 태도에 차이가 있는지 살펴보았다. 이를 위하여 B시에 거주 중인 만 5, 6세 자녀를 둔 어머니 104명을 대상으로 잠재프로파일분석 방법을 활용하였다. 추출된 잠재유형에 따라 유아의 읽기 태도에 차이가 있는지 확인하기 위해 BCH 보조변수(Auxiliary)를 사용하였다. 분석 결과, 첫째, 가정의 문해상호작용과 문해환경에 따라 ‘개방적, 지시적 상호작용 하-문해환경 하’, ‘지시적 상호작용 상, 개방적 상호작용 중-문해환경 중’, ‘개방적 상호작용 상, 지시적 상호작용 중-문해환경 상’의 3개의 잠재유형이 존재하는 것으로 확인되었다. 둘째, 잠재유형 3(개방적 상호작용 상, 지시적 상호작용 중-문해환경 상)이 잠재유형 2(지시적 상호작용 상, 개방적 상호작용 중-문해환경 중)와 잠재유형 1(개방적, 지시적 상호작용 하-문해환경 하)보다 읽기 태도 점수가 더 높은 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구에서 어머니는 취학 전 유아와 지시적인 문해상호작용을 하지만 더욱 개방적인 문해상호작용을 추구하며, 다양한 문해활동과 풍부한 문해자료 및 어머니의 친화적인 독서태도가 유아의 긍정적인 읽기 태도를 형성하고 발전시켜 나가는 데 의미 있는 영향을 미칠 수 있음을 입증했다.This study attempted to identify latent classes of literacy interactions and literacy environments at home through latent profile analysis targeting mothers with children aged five and six. In addition, the study examined whether there were differences in young children’s reading attitudes according to the latent classes. The study analyzed 104 mothers and their five- and six-year-old children using latent profile analysis (LPA). The results of this study identified three latent classes for literacy interactions and environments at home, namely, (a) Latent Class 1 (low open-directive interaction, with a low home literacy environment), (b) Latent Class 2 (high directive interaction and mid open interaction, with a mid home literacy environment), and (c) Latent Class 3 (high open interaction and mid directive interaction, with a high home literacy environment). The results also indicated that there were significant differences in reading attitudes. Based on the results, discussion and implications are presented for literacy interactions and literacy environments at home to improve young children’s reading attitudes.

Reading Difficulties Identification: A Comparison of Neural Networks, Linear, and Mixture Models

ABSTRACT Purpose We aim to identify the most accurate model for predicting adolescent (Grade 9) reading difficulties (RD) in reading fluency and reading comprehension using 17 kindergarten-age variables. Three models (neural networks, linear, and mixture) were compared based on their accuracy in predicting RD. We also examined whether the same or a different set of kindergarten-age factors emerge as the strongest predictors of reading fluency and comprehension difficulties across the models. Method RD were identified in a Finnish sample (N ≈ 2,000) based on Grade 9 difficulties in reading fluency and reading comprehension. The predictors assessed in kindergarten included gender, parental factors (e.g., parental RD, education level), cognitive skills (e.g., phonological awareness, RAN), home literacy environment, and task-avoidant behavior. Results The results suggested that the neural networks model is the most accurate method, as compared to the linear and mixture models or their combination, for the early prediction of adolescent reading fluency and reading comprehension difficulties. The three models elicited rather similar results regarding the predictors, highlighting the importance of RAN, letter knowledge, vocabulary, reading words, number counting, gender, and maternal education. Conclusion The results suggest that neural networks have strong promise in the field of reading research for the early identification of RD.

Home Literacy Environment and Parental Perceived Literacy Development in Children with Autism: A Mediation Model

The significant impact of the home literacy environment (HLE) on the literacy development and educational achievements of typically developing (TD) children has been well documented. The focus of the current research is to gain insights into the HLE of children with autism spectrum disorders owing to their literacy difficulties. We used online questionnaires to collect data on the HLE, literacy development, reading interest, and parent–child relationship from the parents of 120 school-aged Chinese children with autism. The results confirmed that the HLE of autistic children predicts their literacy development not only directly but also indirectly, through reading interest and the parent–child relationship. The mediating effect accounted for more than half of the total effect. The study highlights that children with autism could benefit from stimulating HLE as well as their TD counterparts.