Poster #26 - Relationship Between Home Literacy Environment, Language, and Prosocial Behavior Among Single and Dual Language Learners

• In Event: Poster Session 19

Abstract

In early childhood, children’s language skills and social competencies develop primarily in the home environment (Lewis et al., 2016), which makes the home literacy environment specifically important. Home literacy environment is a multifaceted construct encompassing both general family literacy such as the number of books in the household and parenting practices such as shared book reading and storytelling in the family (Niklas et al., 2020). Research focusing on single language learners (SLLs) has demonstrated that both aspects are crucial in supporting children’s language abilities (e.g., Wirth et al., 2020). Additionally, many children’s books contain social stories, through which children may learn about social norms and prosocial behavior (Rose et al., 2018; Wirth et al., 2020), defined as a “voluntary behavior intended to benefit others” (Eisenberg et al., 2006, p. 646).

Despite theory, there is only scant empirical evidence that home literacy environment is related to SLLs’ prosocial behavior (Aram et al., 2016). Even less is known about dual language learners’ (DLLs) home literacy environment and how it promotes their language abilities and prosocial behavior (Lewis et al., 2017). Although studies on SLLs and DLLs suggest links between home literacy environment and language (e.g., Lewis et al., 2017) and between language and prosocial behavior (e.g., Girard et al., 2016; Sun, 2019), most studies measured either DLLs’ home or societal language. This approach might provide a limited view of their language abilities (Castro, 2014).

Based on prior research on the interrelatedness of home literacy environment, language and prosocial behavior, the current study adds to the literature by elucidating these interrelations longitudinally with three timepoints among SLLs and DLLs. The current sample of the ongoing study consists of 193 SLLs (48.2% female) who grew up with the societal languages German or French and 112 DLLs (51.8% female) who grew up with Italian and Turkish in addition to German or French. Children were 34-70-months old (M = 47.53, SD = 8.29) at timepoint 1, 44-80-months old (M = 62.00, SD = 8.32) at timepoint 2, and 34-81-months old (M = 70.13, SD = 8.50) at timepoint 3. SLLs’ language abilities were assessed in the societal language whereas DLLs’ were tested in their societal and respective home language using established instruments at all three timepoints. Prosocial Behavior, measured at timepoint 1 and 2, was operationalized threefold: via ratings of parents, early education professionals, and children’s laboratory-observed sharing behavior. Home literacy environment, measured at timepoint 1, was operationalized by shared book reading, storytelling, and the number of children’s (picture) books in the household, as reported by parents.

The assumed associations among SLLs and DLLs will be tested using a multi-level model considering the latent growth of societal language and the associations of both home literacy environment and prosocial behavior, and the associations between home literacy environment and prosocial behavior. Secondly, we will specifically examine DLLs in a model that includes children's home language skills. Age, gender, parents’ education, and parents’ oral proficiency in the societal and home language will be used as covariates.

Authors

• Ankica Jurkic, University of Bern
  Presenting Author

• Jessica Carolyn Weiner, University of Basel

• Simone Emily Halliday, Universität Bern

• Tina Hascher