Influence of socioeconomic status on children’s reading abilities: the mediating role of home learning environment and the moderating role of grade level

Abstract

Family socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to be associated with children’s academic abilities. However, how SES influences children’s reading abilities across grades still warrants investigation. This study recruited 1st - through 6th -grade children (N = 1,534) and examined the role of Home Learning Environment in the relationship between SES and reading abilities. The results revealed that the number of books at home and the reading initiation age mediated the impact of SES on children’s reading abilities, whereas family teaching activities did not have the expected mediating effect. Grade level moderated the influence of SES and reading initiation age on reading; that is, as grade level increased, earlier reading initiation age and higher family SES contributed more to children’s reading performance. These findings illustrate how SES affects children’s reading through Home Learning Environment across grades, which offers practical insights for guiding family activities in promoting children’s reading capacity.