The role of the Home Literacy Environment for children's linguistic and socioemotional competencies development in the early years

Abstract

Both linguistic and socioemotional competencies develop in early childhood in the context of children's learning environments at home and during interactions with their parents. To support linguistic competencies, the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) and shared reading routines play a crucial role. In turn, research also indicates associations between the HLE and children's socioemotional development. Based on a sample of N = 132 children with an average age of M = 37 months (SD = 4.00) at t1, this longitudinal study aimed at investigating the role of the HLE for the development of children's linguistic and socioemotional competencies in the early years. Children's receptive and expressive linguistic abilities were assessed with standardized tests and educators and parents reported on the HLE and shared reading routines, as well as children's socioemotional competencies and problem behavior three times across 1 year. In a structural equation model, children's HLE was a significant predictor of children's socioemotional competencies and problem behavior via linguistic abilities. Consequently, children's HLE and parental shared reading habits may be a good target for interventions to support young children's socioemotional learning by contributing to their linguistic development.