Do early learning and literacy support at home predict preschoolers' narrative skills?

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure parental practices to support young children's learning and literacy at home (ELLS) and explore the predictive validity of the instrument by examining the associations between the ELLS subscales (basic concepts, phonological awareness, conceptual understanding) and children's narrative skill scores. The sample included 315 parents of three to five years old preschool-aged children. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a hypothesized three-factor model was a good fit to the sample data. All subscales had adequate internal consistency. The overall findings of the current study suggest that phonological awareness is the strongest predictors of children's narrative skills. Parental activities that aim to promote children's phonological awareness appear to make a greater contribution to the children's narrative skills than the activities that enhance children's knowledge of basic concepts and understanding of events and characters depicted in picture books.