ERIC Number: EJ1246455
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2229-0443
EISSN: N/A
Development of a Home Literacy Environment Questionnaire for Tamil-Speaking Kindergarten Children
Buvaneswari, B.; Padakannaya, Prakash
Language Testing in Asia, v7 Article 14 2017
Background: The development of emergent literacy skills depends upon the literacy environments and experiences of children at home. Children's home literacy environment is closely related to the development of various aspects of emergent literacy like letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. Dimensions of home literacy environment, such as physical (literacy) environment, child's own literacy habits, parental literacy habits, parent-child interaction for language and literacy activities, and parental beliefs about literacy, have been reported in literature. Methods: The present study describes the construction of a home literacy environment questionnaire for Tamil-speaking kindergarten children in the Indian context. The various dimensions of home literacy environment were described, and items related to each dimension were listed. Seventeen judges rated each item on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (no fit) to 4 (excellent fit). Their comments/remarks/opinion, specific to an item or dimension, were also taken. The rating responses were analyzed for content validity and internal consistency. Results: Content validity index was calculated at item level as well as scale level. The items in each subscale/dimension which had the item level content validity index scores higher than 0.78 were included in the final questionnaire and the other items were rejected. The scale level content validity index scores were higher than 0.90, indicating good content validity. Cronbach's alpha was calculated as a measure of internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha values were lower than 0.7 for three domains: physical environment, parent literacy habits, and parental beliefs. Conclusions: The questionnaire developed promises to be a useful tool to evaluate the home literacy environment of Tamil children who undergo formal education in English medium schools like in India. The questionnaire developed and presented here can help in collecting reliable data to make informed decisions about children's (whether typically developing or with developmental disabilities) home literacy environment.
Descriptors: Test Construction, Questionnaires, Family Literacy, Kindergarten, Young Children, Emergent Literacy, Dravidian Languages, Family Environment, Parent Attitudes, Parent Child Relationship, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A