What You Do Versus Who You Are: Home-Learning Activities, Social Origin and Cognitive Skills among Young Children in Ireland

Abstract

This article explores the role that home-learning activities (HLAs) play in the relationship between social origin and cognitive development using an Irish birth cohort study, Growing Up in Ireland. Numerous studies using different measures of the home-learning environment (HLE) have shown that it has considerable influence on young children’s cognitive development, and that the HLE is often linked to social origin. We find a social gradient in vocabulary even at age 3 years, with the largest gaps for mothers’ education. Family income, mothers’ education, and social class are also associated with vocabulary independently, though these associations are reduced by adding all three measures simultaneously. The extent of HLAs helps explain a very small part of the education differences and none of the income or social class differences in vocabulary. We find some evidence that HLAs may be more salient for children from families with low income and lower social class backgrounds in terms of supporting vocabulary development, thereby compensating somewhat for disadvantage. HLAs also appear to encourage vocabulary development between age 3 and 5, and play a role in reducing the gap in vocabulary between high- and low-income children.

Understanding differences in children’s reading ability by social origin and gender: The role of parental reading and pre- and primary school exposure in Ireland

“…Of course social origin is a multidimensional concept, with independent effects of family social class and parents' education (Erola et al, 2016;McMullin et al, 2020). Thus, it will be important to account for mother's education in understanding children's outcomes.…”

The socio‐economic gradient of cognitive test scores: evidence from two cohorts of Irish children

“…In a similar study McNally et al (2019) also find roles for income, parenting practice and material resources (including books) in mediating the gradient between parental education and a vocabulary test score in wave 2 of GUI. McMullin et al (2020) and McGinnity et al (2017) investigate the role of home learning activities (HLAs) and home learning environment (HLE) respectively in the relationship between social origins and cognitive development (as measured by vocabulary scores) for waves 2 and 3 of the Infant Cohort of GUI. In results which are echoed below, they confirm the existence of the social gradient but find relatively little independent role for HLAs and only a limited role for HLE, once controls for SES are included.…”

“…McMullin et al. (2020) and McGinnity et al. (2017) investigate the role of home learning activities (HLAs) and home learning environment (HLE), respectively, in the relationship between social origins and cognitive development (as measured by vocabulary scores) for waves 2 and 3 of the infant cohort of the GUI.…”

The dynamics of child poverty in Ireland: Evidence from the Growing Up in Ireland survey

“…In a review of the research of poverty on child outcomes, Duncan and Brooks-Gunn (2000) suggest that the effect is greater on cognitive/educational outcomes than in other domains. Strong associations between various dimensions of family socioeconomic status and children's cognitive outcomes have been found in multiple studies of the GUI cohorts at different ages (Williams et al, 2009;Smyth et al, 2010;McGinnity et al, 2015;McMullin et al, 2020). The influence of family socioeconomic status (SES) persists even when a range of other environmental, family and personal characteristics are taken into account.…”