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Part of
Dynamics of Linguistic Diversity
Edited by Hagen Peukert and Ingrid Gogolin
[Hamburg Studies on Linguistic Diversity 6] 2017
► pp. 51–73

Home literacy activities of mono- and multilingual children in middle childhood

| University of Hamburg
| University of Hamburg

Empirical studies have widely documented the influence of the language input children receive in the family on their (academic) language development and identified differences in the home literacy experiences of mono- and multilingual children as a potential source for the lower language skills and educational success of multilingual children and adolescents. Using data from the LiMA Panel Study, this article investigates how frequently mono- and multilingual children in middle childhood are engaged in different home literacy activities that have been shown to be frequently practiced by families with children in early childhood. Our results point to systematic differences in the home literacy experiences of mono- and multilingual children, and suggest that the family’s socioeconomic position can partly but not fully account for these differences.

Keywords: academic language development, home literacy, multilingualism, ethnic disparities
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Home literacy as a predictor of (academic) language skills
  • 3.Home literacy in mono- and multilingual families
  • 4. Research objective and hypotheses
  • 5. Sample description
  • 6.Results
    • 6.1Oral and literate activities in mono- and multilingual families
    • 6.2TV consumption in mono- and multilingual families
    • 6.3The family’s SES as an explanation for different home literacy patterns
  • 7.Discussion and conclusion
    • Home literacy activities in early vs. middle childhood
    • Home literacy experiences of mono- and multilingual children
    • The role of the family’s SES
    • Limitations and prospects for future research
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 24 May 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/hsld.6.04lag
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