Early Home Learning Environment, Language Ability, Self-Regulation, and Academic Skills

• In Event: Contemporary Issues in Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Early home learning environment plays an important role on children’s academic skills. This study extends the current knowledge base by exploring whether children’s language ability before school can mediate the association between their early home learning environment and kindergarten academic achievement, and whether self-regulation ability moderate the relationship between early learning environment and language ability. Results suggest that early home learning environment is related to kindergarten academic skills. Moreover, language ability partially mediated the relationship between home learning materials and academic skills, and fully mediated the relationship between language stimulation and academic skills. In addition, children’s self-regulation ability moderates the relationship between learning materials and language ability. The implications of our research findings are discussed.

Authors

• Yuanhua Wang, West Virginia University

• Yvonne Caldera, Texas Tech University