Relations of Hong Kong Young Children's Home Reading Resources and Habits to Their Oral Vocabulary Skills and Reading Interest

Children’s language development, especially vocabulary development, has always been a great concern of parents and the society. This research study aimed at examining the relations of home reading resources and habits to... [ view full abstract ]

Children’s language development, especially vocabulary development, has always been a great concern of parents and the society. This research study aimed at examining the relations of home reading resources and habits to oral vocabulary skills and reading interest among Hong Kong four- to five-year-old children. A total of 60 second-year kindergarteners were individually tested on their oral vocabulary skills. Besides, their parents completed a questionnaire about their children’s home reading resources and habits, and four of them further attended a focus group. Class teachers of these children also completed a questionnaire about their reading interest shown in school. Results indicated that the greater the number of books (particularly picture books) children had, the better their oral vocabulary skills. Children’s frequency of and time spent on shared reading with parents also had positive correlations with their oral vocabulary skills and reading interest. However, all parents attending the focus group expressed that they were so busy that they did not always have time to read with children. Besides, children who read at table demonstrated better oral vocabulary skills and greater reading interest than those who did not. Compared to children who read out soft and did not read aloud, children who read out loud had better oral vocabulary skills. In view of the important role of home reading resources and habits in children’s vocabulary and reading interest development, parents are suggested to create a rich reading environment for children at home, and engage them more in shared reading activities. Teachers, on other hand, can also provide support to parents by guiding them how to make effective use of home reading time. (Keywords: home reading resources, home reading habits, oral vocabulary skills, reading interest)