How the home learning environment contributes to children's social-emotional competence: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

Introduction: The home learning environment is the earliest contact learning environment in early childhood development, which plays an important role in the development of children's social-emotional competence. However, previous studies have not clarified the precise mechanisms by which the home learning environment influences children's social-emotional competence. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between the home learning environment and its intrinsic structure (i.e. structural family characteristics, parental beliefs and interests, and the educational processes) and children's social-emotional competence, and whether gender plays a moderating role in the relationship.

Method: The study randomly selected a sample of 443 children from 14 kindergartens in western China. The Home Learning Environment Questionnaire and the Chinese Inventory of Children's Social-emotional competence scale were used to investigate the home learning environment and social-emotional competence of these children.

Results: (1) Structural family characteristics and parental beliefs and interests both had a significant positive predictive effect on children's social-emotional competence. (2) The educational processes fully mediate between structural family characteristics, parental beliefs and interests, and children's social-emotional competence. (3) Gender moderated the effect of the home learning environment on children's social-emotional competence. Gender moderates not only the indirect effects between parental beliefs and interests and children's social-emotional competence, but also the indirect effects between structural family characteristics and children's social-emotional competence. At the same time, gender also moderated the direct effects between parental beliefs and interests and children's social-emotional competence.

Discussion: The results emphasize the crucial role of the home learning environment in the development of children's early social-emotional competence. Therefore, parents should pay attention to the home learning environment and improve their ability to create a home learning environment that promotes the positive development of children's social-emotional competence.

Keywords: home learning environment; moderated mediation effect; preschool children; social–emotional competence; synergistic efficacy.

Figure 1

A hypothesized moderated mediation model (Adapted from Kluczniok et al., 2013).

Figure 2

The standardized path coefficients describe the direct predictive effects of structural family characteristics, parental beliefs and interests on children’s social–emotional competence. ***p < 0.001.

Figure 3

The standardized path coefficients describe the mediating role of the educational process between structural family characteristics, parental beliefs and interests and the children’s social–emotional competence. ***p < 0.001.

Figure 4

The moderated mediation model. PBI, parental beliefs and interests; SFC, structural family characteristics; EP, educational process; SEC, children’s social–emotional competence. Model A: Gender moderates PBI, EP, and SEC. Model B: Gender moderates SFC, EP, and SEC.

Figure 5

The moderating effect of gender on the relationship between educational processes and preschool children’s social–emotional competence: Simple slope, the pick-a-point approach. (A): Simple slope for Model a, gender moderates PBI, EP and SEC. (B): Simple slope of Model b, gender moderates SFC, EP and SEC.

Figure 6

The moderating effect of children’s gender on the relationship between parental beliefs and interests and children’s social–emotional competence: Simple slope for a Model A, the pick-a-point approach.