Daniel J. Weigel

Children's acquisition of early literacy skills: examining family contributions

Abstract A study of 143 families and their preschool-age children was undertaken to examine the relationship between the family environment and children’s language and literacy skills. This research was guided by three models hypothesized by Snow, Barnes, Chandler, Goodman, and Hemphill (1991) to explain the family’s contribution to children’s acquisition of language and literacy. The three theoretical models examined in this study were: Family as Educator, Resilient Family, and Parent–Child Care Partnership. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling were used to estimate latent constructs and structural models, respectively. Results showed that only the Family as Educator model was significantly related to child language and literacy outcomes (i.e., book-related knowledge, receptive language skills, and expressive language skills). Implications for future researchers and educational practice are discussed.

Contributions of the home literacy environment to preschool‐aged children’s emerging literacy and language skills

This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and logitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated that (a) parental literacy habits were positively associated with parental reading beliefs, (b) parental reading beliefs were positively associated with parent–child literacy and language activities in the home, and (c) parent–child literacy and language activities were positively associated with children’s print knowledge and reading interest. Parental demographic characteristics were associated with children’s expressive and receptive language skills. The results highlight how different components of the home literacy environment are associated with different components of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language abilities, findings that become more important as educators and policy‐makers look for ways to enhance children’s literacy and language development.

Mothers' Literacy Beliefs: Connections with the Home Literacy Environment and Pre-School Children's Literacy Development.

This study examined mothers’ beliefs about literacy development, the association of those beliefs with other aspects of the home literacy environment, and connections between parental literacy beliefs and pre-school aged children’s literacy development. Data were collected from 79 mothers and their children over one year, and two profiles of parental literacy beliefs emerged. ‘Facilitative’ mothers believed that taking an active role in teaching children at home would provide opportunities for their children to gain vocabulary, knowledge, and morals. ‘Conventional’ mothers expressed the belief that schools, more than parents, are responsible for teaching children and tended to report many challenges to reading with children. Homes with Facilitative mothers tended to be more literacy enriching than homes of Conventional mothers, and children with Facilitative mothers displayed more advanced print knowledge and interest in reading. These findings have implications for understanding the connections among parental literacy beliefs, home literacy environments, and children’s literacy outcomes.

Identifying Stressors and Coping Strategies in Two-Generation Farm Families.

This study examined the stressors and coping strategies of two-generation farm families. Results identified fourkey factors creating stressors for family members. Also, four main strategies that family members used to cope with stressors were identified. Significant differences in stressors and coping strategies were found between generations and among fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters-in-law. Implications for researchers, practitioners working with farm families, and educators were discussed.

Investigating the Behavioral Indicators of Relational Commitment

Although the commitment literature has made good progress at explaining why people stay in or leave relationships, much of this literature does not address the daily behavioral aspects of relationship commitment. This article reports the results of two studies undertaken to more systematically investigate the behavioral indicators of commitment. The first study asked 248 people what things they do or say to show their commitment to their partners. Participants identified a total of 928 behaviors that were coded into 10 major categories of indicators of commitment: providing affection, providing support, maintaining integrity, sharing companionship, making effort to communicate, showing respect, creating a relational future, creating a positive relational atmosphere, working on relationship problems together, and expressing commitment. A second study with a new sample of 350 people was under- taken to explore the association between the use of these behavioral indicators and both structural and perceptual elements of the relationship. Results showed that there were significant differences in the use of behavioral indicators depending on relationship type and sex. Results also showed that the greater the use of specific behavioral indicators, the higher the levels of commitment and satisfaction.

Using Paired Data to Test Models of Relational Maintenance and Marital Quality

Recent research has developed a good understanding of how maintenance behaviors are related to husbands’ and wives’ individual perceptions of marriage. Unfortunately, one of the limitations is that data have been collected from an individual spouse and may be misleading when applied to the relationship as a whole. The purpose of the present study was to test a procedure by which data collected from spouses can be used to examine joint couple-level concepts. Specifically, the study employs structural equation modeling with 129 married couples to examine the relationship between husbands’ and wives’ use of maintenance behaviors and joint couple-level constructs of marital quality. The final models for couple satisfaction, couple commitment, and couple love had good fits, indicating that individual use of maintenance behaviors has an influence upon couples’ marital quality. Also, wives’ overall use of maintenance behaviors had a stronger relationship with marital quality than did husbands’ use of maintenance behaviors.

Parental Divorce and the Types of Commitment-Related Messages People Gain from Their Families of Origin

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of types of commitment-related messages gained from families of origin. A sample of young adults was asked about the messages they believed they gained from their families of origin, to what degrees those messages affected their relationship experiences, and how these messages are related to their beliefs about romantic relationships. Results indicated that people with divorced or unhappy parents were more likely to report gaining messages such as relationships are not permanent, one must approach relationships with caution, and relationships are beset by lack of trust and fidelity, and less likely to report gaining messages such as marriage is enduring, relationships need love and happiness, and relationships should be partnerships. In addition, participants indicated they felt that those messages had influenced their experiences in relationships. Overall, the results add to the growing evidence of the importance of family of origin upon peoples attitudes about and experiences in romantic relationships.

Family Satisfaction in Two-Generation Farm Families: The Role of Stress and Resources.

This study examines the role of stress and resources in family satisfaction for two-generation farm families, defined as fathers and mothers actively involved in the operation or management of the farm together with the younger generation, consisting of sons and daughters-in-law. From a sample of 481 adults, regression models are developed to explore predictors of family satisfaction. The models highlight the central role of family stress, unity, and power in the perception of family satisfaction; however, the role these variables played differed for each generation. Several implications for educators and clinicians are discussed.

The Concept of Family An Analysis of Laypeople's Views of Family

Family scholars have offered a host of formal definitions of family with little consensus. One reason scholars may have trouble reaching agreement is that rather than having a classical definition, there may be a variety of features and forms of family that people consider more typical than others. Three studies were undertaken to gain a better understanding of laypeoples concept of family. Study 1 indicates that people have central features and attributes that they ascribe to the concept of family. Study 2 likewise reveals that certain forms of family are considered more exemplary than others. Study 3 brings the elements of features and forms together and provides evidence of a possible underlying structure of family in which central features are matched with central forms. Research, measurement, and social policy implications for the study of family are discussed.

Pathways to Literacy: Connections between Family Assets and Preschool Children's Emergent Literacy Skills.

Using a developmental assets framework, we examined the influences of family resources, routines, and stress on preschool-aged children’s emerging literacy development. Data were collected from 85 children as well as from their parents. Using path analysis, the results revealed that the more regular the routines in the household, the more likely parents were to engage their children in literacy enhancing activities, and in turn the higher the children’s print knowledge and reading interest. This was the case both initially and a year later. Results also showed that family resources and stress contributed to aspects of literacy development, although not as strongly as family routines. The findings suggest that interventions should include efforts to promote supportive family contexts as an additional means to enhance children’s literacy development.