HOME LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S ACHIEVEMENT

Authors

  • Daniela Veronica NecÅŸoi Transilvania University of BraÅŸov, Romania

Abstract

In the literature, children’s achievement is often associated with family background and characteristics, but also with parental educational practices, or the home learning environment that families create for their children. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between different family variables and children’s achievement. More specific, we intended to identify which aspects of the family environment predict better children’s social and cognitive development: the parents’ education, family income, or the home learning environment that parents create for their children. In the study we used self-reported data, based on questionnaires administrated to parents of preschool children. The questionnaire contained items about the activities that parents engaged at home with their children, activities that had the potential to provide learning experiences and to contribute to children’s social and cognitive development, such as reading to children, playing with them, painting and drawing, and so on. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression. Our results support the importance of the home learning environment and its prevalence in generating social and cognitive development, comparing to family characteristics.

References

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Published

2014-09-25