Moderating Factors in the Relationship Between Home Literacy Environment and Early Word Reading Skills: Results from Cantonese–English Bilinguals

Abstract We examined the associations between home literacy environment (HLE) and children’s word reading in L1 Cantonese and L2 English and whether the associations were moderated by other child- and family-related factors (children’s grade level, reading interest, and family socioeconomic status [SES]) in Hong Kong Chinese families. Participants were 190 children ( M age = 86.05 months; 54.7% female) in Grades 1 and 2, and they were tested on their word reading skills (accuracy and fluency) in L1 Cantonese and L2 English. One corresponding parent of each child responded to a questionnaire assessing two aspects of HLE (parent teaching and access to literacy resources), family SES, and their child’s reading interest. Results showed that access to literacy resources was associated with L2 English reading but not L1 Cantonese reading, regardless of grade level, parent-rated reading interest, or SES. In addition, whereas parent teaching was positively associated with L2 English reading in Grade 1, it was negatively associated with L2 English reading in Grade 2. These results suggest that whereas access to literacy resources may be positively associated with L2 English reading across different family contexts, the role of parent teaching in L2 English reading may change during this developmental period.