A study of reading achievement and social development associated with four patterns of child care : parental home, parental home plus nursery school, out of parental home, and day care center

• Main Author: Khanna, Santosh B.
• Other Authors: Lumpkin, Donavon D.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Reading (Preschool); Child development.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/177323; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/386503

The purpose of the study was to determine if differences exist in scores on reading achievement subtests and ratings on social development subscales for children exposed to four reported patterns of child care practice.The sample consisted of 143 children that experienced different patterns of child care practices between ages of three to five and who were presently enrolled in grade two in four elementary schools in Muncie, Indiana.Three assessment instruments including a parent questionnaire, subtests from the, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and social development subscales adapted from Preschool Attainment Record (PAR) were employed in this study.A two way (2x4) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted for testing the equality of vectors for the mean scores on reading achievement subtests and mean ratings on social development subscales. The two independent factors considered were patterns of child care practice and sex of the child. For purposes of the analysis, a testing sequence of effects was conducted since unequal cell sizes obtained produced a nonorthogonal design. The interaction effect between the two factors was obtained following the tests of the two main effects within the sequence. Preliminary to testing the hypotheses it was necessary to first test for a significant interaction between the factors of patterns of child care practice and sex. Although no hypothesis was specified for sex factor, this factor was used to eliminate any possible unexplained variance from the within variability.No significant differences were found between vectors of mean scores on the basis of patterns of child care practice. Consequently, the first null hypothesis that there is no difference among vectors of mean scores on reading achievement subtests could not be rejected. The second null hypothesis that there is no difference among the vectors of mean ratings on social development subscales, too, could not be rejected. There seems to be little influence exerted by pattern of child care practice on reading achievement and social development of children in this sample.