Early childhood literacy skills: The effect of socioeconomic status, home literacy environment, and social skills

Abstract

Literacy is an important skill that must be developed by a child for the next level of education, so it must be expected that parents help their children to develop reading habits at an early age. A family has a responsibility to provide rich experiences inside and outside the home that are very important for the development of children's literacy. This study aims to investigate the socio-economic status, home literacy environment, and social skills in early childhood literacy skills. The method used in this study is survey. A number of 120 students from first grade elementary school were recruited as samples. Parents of these children filled out questionnaires in the column of education and income of parents. Home literacy environment consists of literacy fasilities and parents-children activities at home, while social skills are obtained by measuring the ability to improve cooperative relationships, social sensitivity, adaptability, and communication. On the other hand, children's literacy skills are directly assessed by using tests. The research data was collected through questionnaires designed in the form of Likert scale and rating scale. The data is analyzed by using path analysis. The results of the research reveal a significant correlation between the socioeconomic status, home literacy environment, and social skills in literacy. The effect of socioeconomic status, home literacy environment, and social skills give direct positive influence on early childhood literacy skills.