Home Learning Environment and Children's Nonverbal Intelligence Development: A Family Intervention Study

• In Event: Effects of Family Support and Interactions on Young Children

Abstract

Children’s cognitive abilities develop in the context of the home learning environment (HLE), as interactions with knowledgeable others facilitate and support children’s learning during everyday activities. In this study, N = 125 German children aged 5;5 years at the beginning of the study and their families participated in a non-intensive intervention procedure, developed to improve the quality of the HLE and thereby support children’s cognitive abilities. HLE and children’s nonverbal intelligence were assessed before and months after the intervention. Families in the intervention group significantly improved their HLE, and children from intervention families showed a greater intelligence development compared to children from non-intervention families. Results indicate that non-intensive interventions may have lasting effects on the HLE and children’s cognitive development.

Authors

• Astrid Wirth, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

• Wolfgang Schneider, University of Würzburg

• Frank Niklas, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München