Home literacy environment and reading comprehension in Spanish primary education

Abstract

Background Research has suggested that one of the most important variables for the development of reading comprehension is the home literacy environment, composed of the literacy interface and what is known as the limiting environment. The current study investigated Spanish children's reading comprehension in relation to these two dimensions. Method Data have been drawn from measures of reading competence and the Learning to Read Survey undertaken for the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 assessment in Spain. Our secondary analysis of the PIRLS 2016 data has enabled the production of two multiple regression models from a sample of 14,595 Spanish pupils aged 9–10 years old. Results The analyses performed have allowed us to determine the limiting environment elements that relate to the reading comprehension results. Moreover, they have highlighted the importance of the literacy interface prior to schooling. Both variables of the home literacy environment appear to be linked with the reading comprehension results taken from the PIRLS 2016 and may orientate the improvement of reading skills at home. Conclusions Our research supports the implementation of family literacy programmes in Spain, especially for low‐income families, which might enhance their literacy interaction with their children in the early stages. The promotion of family literacy programmes oriented to preschool children could improve not only emergent literacy skills but also the social value of literacy from a sociocultural perspective. Highlights What is already known about this topic Reading comprehension is a crucial skill in education. Owing to its links with the common teaching and learning methods in primary education, a weak or late development of reading comprehension may impede academic outcomes. Literacy development may be influenced by the socioeconomic status of families. Although important, there are other familial factors influencing children's literacy development. For this reason, the concept ‘home literacy environment' offers a wider perspective on the nature of the links between families and literacy. The home literacy environment has been described as the mixture of two different dimensions: the literacy interface and the limiting environment. An analysis of both dimensions shows the importance of the activities promoted and carried out by families (the literacy interface). What this paper adds There is a scarcity of research about the development of reading comprehension among primary pupils and its relationship with the home literacy environment in Spain. Family context is currently one of the less well‐understood aspects of the Spanish educational system. The current research points to the Spanish families' limiting environment as one of the elements that may predetermine, from early childhood, the later development of reading comprehension. The research identifies variables within the home literacy environment which are more relevant to the development of reading comprehension. Implications for t...

Impact of home literacy environment on literacy development of children with hearing loss: A mediation model

“…Although neither their family income nor their parents' education levels were high, the HLE average scores were high. This conclusion is consistent with the previous studies on HLE of children with hearing loss in the Chinese and other language environments (Li and Tan, 2016;Ho and Lau, 2018;Guzmán-Simón et al, 2020). Our conclusion that HLE predicted the literacy development of children with hearing loss, confirms and enriches relevant studies of HLE on children's literacy development (Carretti et al, 2009;Twitchell et al, 2015;Andrews et al, 2017;Boerma et al, 2018), further demonstrates that HLE also positively influences literacy development of children with hearing loss in the Chinese context, and emphasizes the important role of HLE on children with hearing loss in general.…”

“…(Umek et al, 2005;Niklas and Schneider, 2013;Boerma et al, 2018). Many studies on children with typical levels of hearing have shown that HLE has a positive impact on their literacy development in alphabetic language context (Carretti et al, 2009;Boerma et al, 2018;Guzmán-Simón et al, 2020). Similar conclusions have been drawn on children with typical levels of hearing in the Chinese context (Li and Tan, 2016;Ho and Lau, 2018).…”

La Enseñanza De La Lectoescritura en Preescolar: Una Cuestión De Ambiente Linguistico

“…En efecto, las actividades que los padres realizan y que contribuyen a la alfabetización emergente de los niños son: lectura de libros, contar cuentos, cantar canciones, jugar con el abecedario, hablar de lo que han hecho o leído, jugar juegos de palabras, escribir palabras y letras o leer en voz alta letreros y etiquetas (Guzmán et al, 2020). El desarrollo de la lectoescritura y la comprensión lectora dependen no solo del estatus socioeconómico sino también del número, naturaleza y diversidad de actividades que se ofrecen dentro de una familia.…”

Importance of Home in the Literacy Process of Child

“…HLE has a good effect on children's literacy development in the setting of alphabetic language, according to numerous research on kids with typical hearing levels. Children with typical hearing levels have also come to similar findings in the Chinese environment [20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”