Examining Associations Between Caregivers’ Educational Expectations, the Home Literacy and Numeracy Environments, and Preschoolers’ Achievement

• In Event: The Home Learning Environment: Where Are We Now?

Abstract

A large body of research has documented that caregivers' educational expectations for their children are predictive of children's achievement (Pinquart & Ebeling, 2020), with family processes and the home learning environment partially accounting for this association (e.g., Davis-Kean, 2005; Sy & Schulenberg, 2005). However, most studies conducted to date have examined links between caregivers' educational expectations and the home literacy environment, whereas far less attention has been paid to whether these beliefs are also related to the home numeracy environment. A growing number of studies have also observed that the home literacy and numeracy environments are predictive of children’s literacy and numeracy skills, both within and across academic domains (e.g., Napoli & Purpura, 2018; Soto-Calvo et al., 2020), though the pattern of findings remains somewhat unclear at present. Therefore, the goal of the current investigation was to replicate and extend prior work by examining (1) do caregivers' educational expectations directly predict the home literacy and numeracy environments, as well as children’s literacy and numeracy skills? (2) do the home literacy and numeracy environments share within- and cross-domain associations with children’s literacy and numeracy skills? and (3) do the home literacy and numeracy environments mediate associations between caregivers' educational expectations and children's academic skills?

Data were drawn from a longitudinal investigation of 360 (55% female) preschoolers and their families. Caregiver questionnaires were collected in the fall of the school year, while child achievement was assessed in the spring. Caregivers’ educational expectations were measured via an ordinal variable that asked, “How much schooling do you expect your child will complete?” The home literacy environment scale was comprised of six items commonly included in the literature (e.g., “How often do you read to your child?”). The home numeracy environment was comprised of twelve items (LeFevre et al., 2009; e.g., “How often do you count objects with your child?”). Children’s literacy and numeracy skills were assessed via the Letter-Word Identification and Number Sense subtests of the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Early Cognitive and Academic Development, respectively (Schrank et al., 2015).

Research questions were examined via path analysis in Mplus, using FIML to account for missing data. Results are visually depicted in Figure 1. We replicated prior work by observing that caregivers’ educational expectations were directly predictive of children’s literacy and math skills, as well as the home literacy environment. However, we find no evidence that caregivers’ educational expectations are related to the home numeracy environment. Moreover, no within-domain associations were observed between the home environments and children’s academic skills, though we did observe a cross-domain association between the home numeracy environment and children’s literacy skills, consistent with prior work (e.g., Napoli & Purpura, 2018). Finally, neither the home literacy environment nor the home numeracy environment mediated any associations between caregivers’ educational expectations and children’s academic skills. These findings contribute to the literature in noteworthy ways and warrant further investigation.

Authors

• Nicholas Waters, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Lori E Skibbe, Michigan State University

• Ryan Bowles, Michigan State University