Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach

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, b...

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Main Authors: Lee, Julia Ai Cheng, Al Otaiba, Stephanie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/1/2015SESgender_EducationResearchandEval_LeeAlOtaiba.pdf
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author Lee, Julia Ai Cheng
Al Otaiba, Stephanie
author_facet Lee, Julia Ai Cheng
Al Otaiba, Stephanie
author_sort Lee, Julia Ai Cheng
building UNIMAS Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description 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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spelling unimas-102992016-10-21T06:55:45Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/ Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach Lee, Julia Ai Cheng Al Otaiba, Stephanie L Education (General) LB Theory and practice of education 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. Routledge 2015 Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/1/2015SESgender_EducationResearchandEval_LeeAlOtaiba.pdf 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) http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/nere20/current http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2015.1010545
spellingShingle L Education (General)
LB Theory and practice of education
Lee, Julia Ai Cheng
Al Otaiba, Stephanie
Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title_full Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title_fullStr Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title_full_unstemmed Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title_short Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
title_sort socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
topic L Education (General)
LB Theory and practice of education
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/1/2015SESgender_EducationResearchandEval_LeeAlOtaiba.pdf