Measuring language- and literacy-related practices in low-SES Costa Rican families: Research instruments and results

This dissertation includes three articles describing the construction of research instruments to measure language- and literacy-related practices and the results obtained using those instruments with low-SES Costa Rican families with kindergarten children.; The first article reports the socio-cultural and literacy-relevant characteristics of the families who responded to the Family Environment Survey (EAF, Encuesta sobre Ambiente Familiar). Results show that parents hold high educational expectations for their offspring; however the home supports provided are not in line with the demands of the Western School Model (WSM) prevalent in the region. It is argued that this mismatch is a consequence of the non-nativization of schooling and of inadequate communication mechanisms between the school and the home.; The second article reports two studies involving the EAF. Study I examines the internal structure of the EAF using factor analysis. Eight components emerged and most items were relevant in characterizing language- and literacy-related practices. Study II reports correlational analyses among the EAF's components and students' outcomes to determine the instrument's predictive validity. Significant associations were found between this instrument and language and literacy measures. These studies indicate that the EAF is a valuable resource for investigating home language- and literacy-related practices. Potential uses of the EAF in the school context are discussed.; The third article compares the results obtained through five observational situations and the EAF to assess the cultural pertinence of these situations and to identify the specific aspects of the home literacy environment that each of them captures. Four of the five observational situations were related---in different degrees---to the language- and literacy-related practices of these families. However, correlational analyses showed that the categories used in the analyses do not match the participants' meaning- making system, as most of the anticipated relationships were not confirmed.; The results presented in this dissertation are framed in a cultural perspective pointing to the mismatch between the culture of the home and the culture of the school. Suggestions are made about how to bridge this gap by designing strategies that promote bi-directional communication between these two fundamental influences in children's development.