Modeling the relationships among parental expectations, the home literacy environment, emergent literacy skills, and early reading comprehension in Chinese children

This study used the Home Literacy Model (HLM) to investigate the mechanisms underlying parental expectations, the home literacy environment (HLE), early literacy skills, and early reading comprehension in China. A total of 235 children (123 boys and 112 girls; mean age = 59.47 months; standard deviation = 9.71 months) and their parents were recruited. Parents completed a questionnaire on their basic information, expectations for their children's language development, and the HLE. The literacy skills and reading comprehension skills of the children were assessed. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that formal home literacy experiences and family literacy resources promoted early reading comprehension by facilitating the development of receptive vocabulary and Chinese character recognition, whereas informal home literacy experiences did not predict early reading comprehension. In addition, parental expectations predicted all aspects of the HLE and influenced the development of early reading comprehension. The findings advance our understanding of the applicability of the HLM in Chinese cultural contexts and provide insights into the mechanisms by which parental expectations and the HLE influence the development of early reading comprehension.