This study aimed to examine the effects of parent-level and teacher-level variables on the foundational literacy of children prior to school entry from a multilevel perspective. In addition, by testing cross-level interaction effects in which the infl...
This study aimed to examine the effects of parent-level and teacher-level variables on the foundational literacy of children prior to school entry from a multilevel perspective. In addition, by testing cross-level interaction effects in which the influence of parent-level variables varies according to teacher-level variables, this study sought to elucidate the multidimensional roles of parents and teachers in shaping children’s foundational literacy.
Data were collected from 50 kindergarten teachers of five-year-old classrooms and 448 mothers of children enrolled in those classrooms in the metropolitan area of South Korea. Teachers completed questionnaires assessing background characteristics (teaching experience and type of institution), literacy beliefs (perceptions of the Hangeul Responsibility Education System), and literacy instruction (teaching professionalism, quality of book-reading interactions, and emergent and conventional literacy instruction). Mothers responded to surveys measuring socioeconomic status (educational attainment and monthly household income), literacy beliefs (perceptions of the Hangeul Responsibility Education System), literacy instruction (quality of book-reading interactions and emergent and conventional literacy instruction), and the home literacy environment. Descriptive statistics and multicollinearity diagnostics were conducted using SPSS Statistics 29.0, and multilevel modeling analyses were performed using HLM version 8.2.3.14.
The major findings of the study are as follows. First, mothers’ perceptions of the Hangeul Responsibility Education System, quality of book-reading interactions, and emergent literacy instruction had positive effects on children’s foundational literacy, whereas conventional literacy instruction had a negative effect. Notably, while most parent-level variables exerted positive influences, conventional literacy instruction showed an opposing pattern. Second, children’s foundational literacy was significantly higher when teachers demonstrated higher levels of teaching professionalism, which emerged as the strongest predictor among teacher-level variables. Third, an interaction mechanism was identified in which the effects of parent-level variables on children’s foundational literacy were significantly moderated by teacher-level variables. Specifically, the positive effect of mothers’ book-reading interaction quality on children’s foundational literacy was strengthened as teachers’ teaching professionalism increased.
These findings empirically demonstrate that the foundational literacy of children prior to school entry is shaped through complex influences embedded within the multilevel contexts of parents and teachers. In particular, teachers’ teaching professionalism was confirmed as a key moderating variable that conditions the impact of maternal book-reading interactions on children’s foundational literacy. Accordingly, the results underscore the importance of establishing a close collaborative system between parents and teachers through active parent education and teacher professional development to support children’s foundational literacy development. The study further highlights the significance of enhancing teachers’ teaching professionalism alongside promoting high-quality book-reading interactions at home. In conclusion, by jointly considering the roles of parents and teachers, this study provides an empirical foundation for strengthening home–institution connections in support of foundational literacy development and emphasizes the need for carefully designed policies that sensitively reflect the diverse characteristics of both families and educational institutions rather than relying on uniform approaches.