Urban English-Speaking and Spanish-Speaking First and Second Graders’ Home Literacy Environments

• In Event: Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Children’s home literacy environments are critical for the development of their early literacy skills (e.g., Niklas & Schneider, 2013; Serpell et al., 2005). Factors such as value placed on literacy, availability and use of reading material, parent-child book reading, and motivation for reading are consistently linked to children’s early language and reading abilities (e.g. Snow et al., 1998; Payne 1994; Phillips & Lonigan, 2009; Serpell et al., 2005). Research has examined differences in home literacy environments of young children from lower- and higher-income families. However, few studies have examined the potential differences in the relations between children’s home literacy environments and literacy skills based on language spoken at home (Hammer et al., 2003; Lopez, 2005). In addition, existing studies have not measured associations between specific components of the home literacy environment in Spanish-speaking families and school-age children’s literacy skills. Different aspects of the literacy environment foster different literacy skills and should be examined separately (e.g., Phillips & Lonigan, 2009; Senechal & LeFevre, 2014; Sonnenschein et al., 2016). Knowing how the home literacy environments of Spanish speaking children may differ from that of English-speaking families, and which factors are most predictive of Spanish-speaking children’s literacy is an integral step in building upon family strengths in education (Sonnenschein & Sawyer, 2018).

This study documented the home literacy environment (literacy artifacts, frequency of children’s reading, parents as role models of literacy engagement, and children’s reading motivations for a group of urban, low-income Spanish-speaking (N=40) and English-speaking (N=38) first and second graders and their parents. Respondents, typically children’s mothers, were interviewed in English or Spanish (N=37 English, N=40 Spanish) about literacy artifacts, children’s reading frequency, and parents as role models Children were individually interviewed with the reading motivation questionnaire (Baker & Scher, 2001; see Table 1).

English-speaking respondents (mainly African Americans) were significantly more educated (73% high school to some college) than Spanish-speaking ones (80% less than high school to high school completion, p<.05). We controlled for maternal education but it did not affect the pattern of responses.

When asked about frequency of reading and reading artifacts, respondents were told to include Spanish and English materials. Spanish-speaking respondents generally had both English and Spanish materials at home. Print materials were available in families’ homes primarily in hard-copy but also in electronic versions.

English -speaking families received higher scores on literacy artifacts, frequency of children’s reading and parents as role models of literacy engagement (p<.05). In contrast, Spanish speaking children had higher reading motivation scores than English speaking children (p < .05). Given that many of the Spanish-speaking children’s parents were immigrants, this may reflect optimism expressed by immigrants in school as a road to success. Discussion will focus on how knowing the two groups of children’s home literacy environments can serve as the basis for establishing and improving home-school connections to improve children’s literacy skills (Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1994).

Authors

• Samantha Helen Galczyk, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Presenting Author

• Susan Sonnenschein, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amber Brock, University of Maryland Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cassandra Simons Gerson, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
  Non-Presenting Author