Direct and indirect associations between parents’ and children’s literacy and numeracy skills: A longitudinal study in Hong Kong Chinese families

We examined the relationship between parents’ and children’s literacy and numeracy and whether the relationship was mediated by children’s cognitive skills. One hundred and thirty Hong Kong Chinese children (mean age = 6 years and 3 months, 51.5 % female) were assessed on nonverbal IQ, phonological awareness (PA), and rapid automatized naming (RAN), and one year later on word reading and arithmetic calculation. Their parents were also tested on word dictation and arithmetic calculation. Results showed that parents’ dictation was weakly but consistently associated with children’s word reading. In contrast, parents’ arithmetic calculation was not consistently associated with children’s arithmetic calculation. RAN predicted both literacy and numeracy, whereas neither RAN nor PA mediated the relationship between parents’ and children’s academic skills. These findings suggest that while children’s literacy and numeracy may partly share similar cognitive underpinnings, their intergenerational association may be generally weak and primarily domain-specific. • We examined the direct and indirect relationships among parents’ and children’s literacy and numeracy skills and children's cognitive skills. • Parents’ literacy was weakly associated with children’s literacy, after controlling for children’s age, cognitive skills, and family SES. • Parents’ arithmetic calculation was not consistently associated with children’s arithmetic calculation. • RAN predicted children's literacy and numeracy skills but did not mediate the relationship between parents’ and children’s skills. • The intergenerational association of literacy and numeracy may be generally weak and primarily domain-specific.