Oral language and reading abilities of first-grade Peruvian children: Associations with child and family factors

Abstract

T his study investigated the relationship between selected child and family demographic characteristic s (child age, child sex, child birth order, maternal education, and parent language status), family processes (parent-to-child reading at home, and parent expectations about child's educational attainment), and preschool experience with poor Peruvian rst-grade children's oral language and reading abilities, and examined whether those factors help to explain differences among children living in poverty. First-grade students (Nˆ137) of ve schools in a poor neighbourhood of Lima, Peru participated in the study. Children were given picture vocabulary, verbal analogies, letterword identi cation, and reading comprehension tests. Information about the children and their families was gathered through parent interviews. Children whose parents had higher expectations obtained higher scores on picture vocabulary, verbal analogies, letter-word identi cation and reading comprehension. Children who attended private and public preschools obtained higher scores in letter-word identi cation than those who did not attend preschool. These ndings support previous researc h on the relevance of family beliefs, above and beyond sociodemographic variables, as contributors to children's oral language and reading, and provide some evidence of the bene ts of preschool among children living in poverty. Future research is recommended to identify the speci c strategies used by low-income Peruvian parents with high expectations to support their children's language and reading; and to determine the relationships between type and quality in Peruvian preschool programmes, and programme practices that may differentially affect children's language and reading skills.

Parents’ Support and Achievement in a Mexican Elementary School: Child’s Perception and Parents’ Self-Evaluation

“…When mothers support their children, the children are likely to achieve better academic outcomes. These data coincide with findings reported in other studies carried out with Latin American children in their hometowns regarding the value of family support actions and the mother's motivation and interest in the student's education (Barber, 1988;Bazán, Castellanos, & López, 2010;Castro, Lubker, Bryant, & Skinner, 2002;Mella & Ortiz, 1999). Similarly, in the United States, despite involvement barriers, Latin American mothers have developed activities and experiences to support and reinforce their children's learning, which positively influences the educational process (Kreider, 2011;Quiñones, 2009;Salinas-Sosa, 1997).…”

Mothers’ reading-related activities at home and learning to read during kindergarten

“…This can be explained by the fact that mothers involve themselves significantly more in reading-related activities with their firstborns than with their subsequent children (Castro et al 2002;Raikes et al 2006;Westerlund and Lagerberg 2008). This was also the case in our study: firstborns received more maternal teaching of letters and reading and were read to more often than other children.…”

“…Birth order may also influence the development of children's literacy. Castro et al (2002) showed that Grade 1 students who are firstborns are better at letter-word identification and at reading comprehension than students born later: this relates to the fact that parents tend to devote more time at home to parent-child reading with their firstborns than with their subsequent children (see also Raikes et al 2006;Westerlund and Lagerberg 2008). Gender also plays a role when learning literacy.…”

The Role of Family on Pathways to Acquiring Early Reading Skills In Lusaka’s Low-Income Communities

“…In addition, parents encouraged their children to retell the stories after watching television, an activity that can be said to influence oral language (Castro, Lubker, Byrant, & Skinner, 2002;Dickinson & Tabors, 2001;Isbell, Sobol, Lindauer, & Lowrance, 2004;Schneider, 1996). The differences in the way the children experienced literacy in their families can be explained as a consequence of parental attitudes, and this could be noted from the way the parents facilitated the organization and structuring of the physical and social contexts (DeBaryshe, 1995;Reese & Gallimore, 2000).…”