Are parental influences on emergent literacy and word reading skills the same across socioeconomic contexts? A multisite study in China

• Inoue, Tomohiro ^[1] ; Zhang, Su-Zhen ^[1] ; Su, Mengmeng ^[2] ; Meng, Yu ^[3] ; Shu, Hua ^[4] ; Georgiou, George K. ^[5]
  1. [1] Chinese University of Hong Kong

     Chinese University of Hong Kong

     RAE de Hong Kong (China)

     
  2. [2] Capital Normal University

     Capital Normal University

     China

     
  3. [3] Tianshui Normal University

     Tianshui Normal University

     China

     
  4. [4] Beijing Normal University

     Beijing Normal University

     China

     
  5. [5] University of Alberta

     University of Alberta

     Canadá

     

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• Localización: Journal of educational psychology, ISSN-e 1939-2176, ISSN 0022-0663, Vol. 117, Nº. 4, 2025, págs. 603-625
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1037/edu0000926
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• Resumen

  • We examined the relations between parental socioeconomic status, attitudes toward the home teaching of literacy, expectations for children’s literacy, educational involvement, and children’s reading skills in Chinese kindergarten children across socioeconomic contexts. Five hundred and fifty-four children (Mage = 74.18 months) from Beijing (representing high per capita income [PCI], N = 152), Jining (representing medium PCI, N = 198), and Tianshui (representing low PCI, N = 204) were tested on emergent literacy (pinyin knowledge, phonological awareness, and vocabulary) and word reading skills. Their parents filled out a questionnaire on their socioeconomic status (parent education and family income), attitudes, and expectations, as well as on three aspects of the home literacy environment (parent teaching, shared book reading, and access to literacy resources [ALR]) and extracurricular activities participation. Results showed that parental attitudes and expectations were associated with parent teaching, ALR, and extracurricular activities participation, which, in turn, were associated with children’s emergent literacy and word reading skills in all groups. Although parent education was more strongly associated with ALR and children’s reading outcomes in the medium and low PCI groups, family income was more strongly associated with the same variables in the high PCI group. These findings suggest that parental factors may be differentially associated with early reading skills in families from contrasting socioeconomic contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)