Testing the Mediating Effect of SES and Home Literacy Environment on Race; Children's Reading Achievement

Background/Purpose: Research suggests that a substantive disparity in reading achievement exists at school entry between middle class children and children living in poverty, and ethnic minority children. The disparity is associated with school difficulties, which in turn predict children’s placement in special education, grade retention, and school dropout. The home literacy environment (HLE)— parenting practices and behaviors that expose children to literacy related skills at the early stages of development— is associated with reading at school entry. However, the effects of the HLE on literacy vary with respect to race and SES.

Although race and SES are each related to literacy, they also confound to influence reading. This has led to mixed findings in the research. However, most studies assume that when SES is accounted for, differences may be due to parenting. In response, this study investigated the relationship between SES, race, and HLE on literacy. The study also explored whether SES and HLE mediate the relationship between race and literacy ability.

Methods: This cross-sectional study measured the predictors of children’s reading using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Data were collected by parent computer-assisted interview (CAI), child direct assessment, and teacher questionnaire. Children in the study were 56.7% (n= 9,766) White, 14.2% (n = 2,441) Black, 8.1% (n= 1,388) Hispanic and, 9.1% (n = 1,560) Asian. The study employed descriptive statistics, correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analysis to answer the research questions. Missing data were dealt with through multiple imputations.

Result: The home literacy variables suggest that on average, children have 74 books at home, and books with pictures are read to children about 3 times within a week.  At the end of kindergarten children’s average score in reading measured by the standardized reading score (T-score) was 51 (SD = 9.83).  Descriptive statistics further revealed that on average, parents reported an income level between $50,001and $75, 000, and an average parents’ education was college. The overall model explained 18% of the variance in reading. The SES and background variables, particularly parents’ education and income, had stronger association with reading than the other predictors in the model. Race, SES, and the HLE each has a unique effect on children’s reading score independent of other predictors. When compared to Whites, Black children were associated with the lowest reading score. SES and HLE partially mediated the relationship between race and children’s reading.

Implication: Given the effect of SES on reading, social work interventions are likely to be effective in addressing reading gaps at school entry when interventions are directed toward parent’s access to resources especially education, job, and income. The school may be a context for identifying and intervening in the larger picture of resource need that influence children’s literacy development. The significant effect of race suggests that it is important that social workers apply the person-in-environment construct and develop a critical understanding of how race influences reading achievement.