The effect of home and school literacy environments on reading comprehension

Abstract

Several studies have investigated the benefits of the home and school literacy environments on literacy, as literacy development starts at home and is developed further at school. The majority of international research focuses on preschool children and little is known about older children. There is less research available pertaining to the local scene. This dissertation investigates the effects of home and school literacy environments on reading comprehension in bilingual fourth-graders. It also explores the relationship between reading comprehension and the overall performance in language arts. Maltese and English reading comprehension sub-tests from the Test of Reading, Phonological Awareness and Memory (TORPAM; Agius, 2012) were administered to 129 students attending a state school, a boys’ church school, a girls’ state school or an independent school. Test performance was compared with findings from parent and teacher questionnaires. The aim of the questionnaire survey was to investigate home and school literacy environments and their effect on the students’ reading comprehension abilities. Assessment findings highlight a strong positive correlation between the students’ reading comprehension abilities and their overall exam marks in Maltese and English. Findings from the questionnaire survey highlight a positive effect of home and school environments upon performance in the reading comprehensions. The most significant relationship is observed between the school environment and the first language of the children (Maltese or English). A strong and positive correlation is evident between the reading comprehensions and the overall exam marks of both languages. Corresponding to previous research, this study found a gender-gap. Different habits of boys and girls were explored.