Hartas, Dimitra, 1966-. (2011) Families' social backgrounds matter : socio-economic factors, home learning and young children's language, literacy and social outcomes. British Educational Research Journal, Vol.37 (No.6). pp. 893-914. ISSN 0141-1926

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Abstract

Parental support with children's learning is considered to be one pathway through which socio-economic factors influence child competencies. Utilising a national longitudinal sample from the Millennium Cohort Study, this study examined the relationship between home learning and parents' socio-economic status and their impact on young children's language/literacy and socio-emotional competence. The findings consistently showed that, irrespective of socio-economic status, parents engaged with various learning activities (except reading) roughly equally. The socio-economic factors examined in this study, i.e., family income and maternal educational qualifications, were found to have a stronger effect on children's language/literacy than on social-emotional competence. Socio-economic disadvantage, lack of maternal educational qualifications in particular, remained powerful in influencing competencies in children aged three and at the start of primary school. For children in the first decade of this century in England, these findings have equity implications, especially as the socio-economic gap in our society widens.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Educational sociology, Education -- Parent participation, Children -- Social conditions, Families -- Economic aspects
Journal or Publication Title:	British Educational Research Journal
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	0141-1926
Date:	23 September 2011
Volume:	Vol.37
Number:	No.6
Page Range:	pp. 893-914
Identification Number:	10.1080/01411926.2010.506945
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3406

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