ERIC Number: EJ1194172
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2332-8584
EISSN: N/A
Natural Window of Opportunity? Low-Income Parents' Responses to Their Children's Impending Kindergarten Entry
Weiland, Christina; McCoy, Dana Charles; Grace, Elizabeth; Park, Soojin Oh
AERA Open, v3 n1 Jan-Mar 2017
Parental investments in the activities and materials that drive learning are central to young children's school readiness and life success. Little is known, however, about how parents adjust these investments in response to outside pressures, including their children's impending entry into kindergarten. In the present study, we employ two analytical strategies (multilevel residualized change and regression discontinuity) within national data from the Head Start Impact Study to examine whether parents of children facing an impending entry to kindergarten invest more time and materials in their children's language and literacy skill development compared with parents of otherwise similar children who are not yet facing formal school entry. Results suggest that low-income parents react to the impending kindergarten transition by increasing their provision of parent-child language and literacy activities (d = 0.15) but not related materials. We discuss the implications of our findings for the timing of parenting interventions.
Descriptors: Low Income Students, Parent Attitudes, Kindergarten, Young Children, School Readiness, Parent Participation, Parent Child Relationship, Learning Activities, Parents as Teachers
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Administration for Children and Families (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 90YR004902