Measuring early literacy behaviors: preschool-age children and first-generation Mexican immigrant parents
Date
2007
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Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute a theoretically and empirically sound quantitative measurement of parent early literacy behaviors, designed for Spanish speaking families. This study describes the need for and the development of a questionnaire completed by parents. A pilot test of the Emergent Literacy Behavior Questionnaire (ELBQ) provided preliminary exploration of an instrument designed specifically for first generation Mexican immigrants in Colorado. The long-term objectives included establishing reliability and validity of the ELBQ for informing parent education program practices. Suggestions for further research include field tests with the ELBQ in programs providing services to families including early childhood, family literacy and adult education. Testing and outcome accountability measures often tied to funding for parent education with early intervention programs rely primarily on measures of early childhood development. These assessments often miss the purpose of family literacy and adult education programs to break the cycle of low literacy, not to raise test scores of very young children. Capturing valid data on parent strengths could assist in comparing information from child development measures for deeper diagnostic and program improvement purposes. Parent behaviors influence children's later school success. Often the home literacy behaviors of parents studied in the context of cultural factors overlook strengths as a point of reference for constructing knowledge. The myth that Latino and other parents of diverse backgrounds do not value education is one of the primary reasons cited in this dissertation as a need to develop an instrument designed to measure diverse cultural values and behaviors related to early literacy parent behaviors with young children. Immigrant parents from Mexico assisted with the design and creation of the ELBQ to include respect of family cultures that better examines changes that may lead to increased understanding of the importance of cultural variances. The pilot test analyses were limited to exploratory factor analysis and preliminary reliability and validity assessment. Results offer possibilities for refining the questionnaire and suggest a field test design. Recommendations conclude by proposing uses of the questionnaire as a supportive addition to the strengths-based framework of research in school improvement and parent involvement.
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Subject
early literacy
first-generation
immigrant
Mexican
parents
preschool-aged
literacy
reading instruction
early childhood education
Hispanic American studies