Relationship between home literacy environment and academic achievement with children reading attitudes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the children’s reading attitude and identify the relationships between the children’s attitude towards reading, home literary environment and academic achievement. The research site was Pasir Gudang district, Johor. Data from a sample of 250 children and 182 parents repectively was collected. Two instruments were used for data collection, namely Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) for children, and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 Learning to Read Survey for parents. Descriptive statistics showed an academic achievement (Self Average Grade) mean of 1.96 with highest proportion of children respondents were moderate achievers. There were high level of children’s reading attitude, moderate level of early literacy activities, high level of resources in the home, and high level of parents’ attitudes toward reading. Inferential statistics showed that all the three factors of home literacy environment which were resources in the home, early literacy activities and parents’ attitudes toward reading were significant factors on influencing children’s reading attitude, meanwhile resources in the home was entered first and explained 59% of the variance in children reading attitude. No significant difference was found in attitudes toward reading among Year Five children with high and low achievement. There was significant relationship between children’s reading attitude and home literacy environment (early literacy activities, resources in the home and parents’ attitudes toward reading), but no significant relationship between children’s reading attitude and academic achievement. In conclusion, a rich-literacy home environment was essential to cultivate children’s reading attitude.