Home learning environment and cognitive development during preschool in Brazil

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

This longitudinal investigation explores how preschoolers’ home learning environment (HLE) may support understanding inequalities in children’s development at the beginning of preschool in Brazil. Research has explored the family environment to understand inequalities related to children’s outcomes disparities, including emotional regulation, literacy, and numeracy skills (Coleman, 1966; Melhuish et al., 2008; Bradley et al., 2001). HLE refers to the extent to which the home environment scaffolds children’s learning and development. HLE also shows long-term associations with children’s academic achievement (Hartas, 2012; Tamis-LeMonda, 2019). In Brazil, few studies have investigated this relationship in early childhood utilizing a longitudinal design (Andrade et al., 2005; Cachapuz & Helpern, 2006; Ferreira & Barrera, 2010).
To fill these gaps, the present analysis used data from a longitudinal study conducted from March 2017 to December 2018 with preschool age children attending public municipal schools in a Brazilian capital city. The sample comprised of 46 randomly selected schools and approximately 2700 children. Data about children’s literacy and numeracy skills were collected using an adaptation of the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) at three time points (Bartholo et al., 2020). Children’s caregivers answered a questionnaire about educational attainment, possession of material goods (including books), participation in governmental cash transfer programs, and the family daily living. Questions about experiences children had with their caregivers in the home environment included (1) reading books or looking at images; (2) singing; (3) drawing, painting, or trimming; (4) playing with letters or the alphabet; (5) counting objects or playing with numbers; (6) playing with colors and/or geometric shapes. The HLE indicator included caregivers’ answers to those six questions, possession of more than 10 books (of any kind) in the home, as well as books and games for children.
Analyses included linear regression models to estimate cognitive development of children at the beginning of preschool (time 1) and multilevel regressions, using value-added models, to estimate children’s learning during the two years of preschool attendance (time 2 and 3). Only children whose caregivers answered to the questionnaire and completed the cognitive were included in the analyses (times 1 and 2 = 1718; times 2 and 3= 1841).
As shown in Tables 1 and 2, results indicated that the HLE indicator seem to be associated with language and math achievement of children at the beginning of preschool (effect sizes ranging from 0.308 to 0.229) and learning during preschool (effect sizes ranging from 0.123 to 0.152). At preschool entry, HLE’s effect sizes are moderate for language (0,308) and math (0,229) achievements when including control variables such as caregivers’ educational attainment, poverty levels, color, gender, and children’s age (Table 1, model 2). HLE’s effect sizes in the third value-added model (Table 2), which includes times 1 and 2 measures as controls, are lower at the end of 1st and 2nd years of preschool for language (0,152) and math (0,126). These results reinforce the importance of considering HLE to identify factors influencing children’s learning and educational trajectories, as well as to plan interventions with families.

Authors

• Blenda Chor Rodrigues, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• Renata Correa Gomes, Colégio Pedro II
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mariane Campelo Koslinski, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Felipe Macedo, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tiago Bartholo, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  Non-Presenting Author