Family context and preschool learning

Abstract

"The main goal of this investigation was to determine the influence of the family contextual variables on children's basic learning skills. Basic abilities tests for children's academic learning were administered to a sample of 447 children aged three, four, and five years in preschool education. The parents completed the questionnaire, which collected data about the structural variables of the family context: family structure, educational level, occupational activity, cultural resources available in the home, and monthly family income. Univariate analyses of variance were performed. The parents' educational level and some of the variables of cultural resources, such as access to the Internet, influence the basic abilities of the participants. This study indicates that structural variables condition family resources of a dynamic nature, and these are significant variables for academic achievement." (author's abstract)