Influence of Cultural Capital on Kindergarteners' Reading Achievement in Schools of Different Socioeconomic Composition

• In Event: 35.083 - Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: 35.083-1 - Reading Comprehension and Assessment

Abstract

Cultural capital is found in numerous studies to predict children’s language and reading skills at very early ages. This study, based on a nationally representative longitudinal study for Kindergarteners (ECLS-K), examined the relationship between kindergartners’ cultural capital and their reading achievement. By employing a multilevel analysis (Hierarchical Linear Models) at both individual and school levels, the study found that the effect of cultural capital on kindergarteners’ reading achievement was conditioned on the school average SES levels: there was significant positive association between cultural capital and kindergarteners’ reading achievement in low average SES schools, yet no such significant relationship was found in schools with low or average level of SES.

Author

• Sisi Chen, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor