Lee, Julia Ai Cheng and Al Otaiba, Stephanie (2015) Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 21 (1). pp. 40-59. ISSN 1380-3611 (Print), 1744-4187 (Online)
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Abstract
Socioeconomic status and gender are important demographic variables that strongly relate to academic achievement. This study examined the early literacy skills differences between 4 sociodemographic groups, namely, boys ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL), girls ineligible for FRL, boys eligible for FRL, and girls eligible for FRL. Data on kindergarteners (N = 462) were analysed using multiplegroup confirmatory factory analysis. Early literacy skill differences between boys and girls are more nuanced than previously reported; subsidy status and gender interact. Both boys and girls from high-poverty households performed significantly lower than the girls from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and spelling. There were gender gaps, with a female advantage, among children from high-poverty households in alphabet knowledge and spelling and among children from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge. These results highlight the importance of employing methodologically sound techniques to ascertain group differences in componential early literacy skills.
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | early literacy skills; gender; socioeconomic status; multiple-group, unimas, university, universiti, Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, Samarahan, ipta, education, research, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak confirmatory factor analysis; kindergarten |
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education |
| Divisions: | Academic Faculties, Institutes and Centres > Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development Faculties, Institutes, Centres > Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development Academic Faculties, Institutes and Centres > Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development |
| Depositing User: | Ai Cheng |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jan 2016 02:34 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Oct 2016 06:55 |
| URI: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299 |
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