Chinese Parents' Beliefs and Home Literacy Practices in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study examined Chinese parents' beliefs and practices relevant to English language learning in Hong Kong. Sixty-five parents (52 mothers) of children (42 girls) who attended the final year of kindergarten (K3) in four districts that varied in terms of median family income participated in the study. They completed questionnaires which tapped their beliefs about English language learning and their home literacy practices (e.g., frequency of reading, number of books at home). Results indicated that there was a correlation between kindergarten district and family income. In the sample, 38.5% of parents reported speaking as the most important skill and 58.5% of parents rated writing as the least important skill to learn in the early years when ranking across the four aspects of the English language (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing). There were no significant differences across SES groups in these rankings. However, there were significant differences in home literacy practices as a function of SES. Parents in the higher SES group reported reading to their children and teaching print-related skills in the home significantly more frequently than their lower SES counterparts. Implications of these findings to enhance parental involvement in education will be discussed.