The Role of Parent Education and Parenting Knowledge in Children's Language and Literacy Skills among White, Black, and Latino Families

Abstract

This study investigated the role of parenting knowledge of infant development in children's subsequent language and pre-literacy skills among White, Black and Latino families of varying socioeconomic status. Data come from 6,150 participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort. Mothers' knowledge of infant development was measured when children were 9 months old, and child language and pre-literacy skills were measured during the fall of the preschool year prior to Kindergarten when children were approximately four years old. Mothers' knowledge of infant development was uniquely related to both maternal education and race/ethnicity. Reported sources of parenting information/advice also varied by education and race/ ethnicity and were related to parenting knowledge. Further, controlling for demographic factors, parenting knowledge partially mediated the relation between parent education and child language and pre-literacy skills, and this relation differed by race/ethnicity. One way to eliminate socioeconomic status achievement gaps in children's early language and literacy skills may be to focus on parents' knowledge of child development, particularly in Latino families.There is abundant evidence that children's oral language skills at kindergarten entry vary widely and strongly predict their later literacy skills and school success SES peers. Much more work is needed to investigate this possibility, yet the evidence suggests it is plausible and it is thus a fruitful area for future evaluation. Note 1. These constraints were also tested in a univariate fashion, and both constraints were found to lead to significant loss of fit.

Racial/ethnic differences in kindergartners' reading and math skills: Parents' knowledge of children's development and home‐based activities as mediators

“…A total KIDI score was calculated by summing points for correct answers. The reliability of KIDI scores was .63 in the final sample in this study, which is fairly comparable with that reported in the KIDI standardization manual (see Bornstein et al, 2010;Rowe et al, 2015). The reliabilities of the KIDI scores and the other variables used in this study were slightly lower than is considered optimal; however, they are consistent with what other researchers using large-scale national datasets have found (e.g., Crosnoe & Cooper, 2010;Sonnenschein & Galindo, 2015).…”

“…We also do not know much about whether parents' knowledge of children's development continues to predict children's development as they enter school. Rowe et al () found that Black, Latino, and White parents' knowledge, assessed when children were 9 months old, predicted children's early language and literacy scores when children were in preschool. Parents' knowledge mediated the relation between maternal education and children's outcomes.…”

Emergent Literacy Support for Children from Marginalised Populations

“…Factors of socioeconomic status (SES), parent educational levels, race and ethnicity, sources of parent knowledge and access to services have been recognized as contributing to parent knowledge and practices [15, 16]. Rowe et al [16] study supported previous studies and showed a link between parent knowledge and parent communication practices, regarding language and literacy in young children. They concluded that the gaps in language and literacy skills identified in preschool could be explained as relating to the levels of early parental knowledge on child development.…”

“…The role of parent knowledge and practices relating to child language and literacy skills has been explored extensively in the literature [15, 16]. Factors of socioeconomic status (SES), parent educational levels, race and ethnicity, sources of parent knowledge and access to services have been recognized as contributing to parent knowledge and practices [15, 16].…”

Understanding Socioeconomic Differences in Parents’ Speech to Children

“…Indeed, in one study , some of the relation between parents’ education and parenting knowledge was because of parents’ access to written materials. In another study, parents’ years of education were related significantly to whether they reported turning to professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, child care providers) rather than family members for help with parenting and information about parenting .…”