Date of Award
1-23-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Communication Disorders, MCD
First Advisor
Christina Akbari-Davis
Committee Members
Amy Shollenbarger; Ruth Owens
Abstract
This study examined the impact of bilingual home literacy environments (HLEs) on the emergent literacy skills of Hispanic children enrolled in an after-school program in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Thirteen Spanish–English bilingual children in kindergarten through third grade and their parents participated. Parent-reported data were collected using an adapted Spanish–English Reading Questionnaire (SER-Q), and children’s literacy skills were assessed with the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and the Spanish Reading Inventory–Second Edition (SRI-2). Descriptive and correlational analyses explored within- and cross-language relationships between HLE practices and early reading performance. Results indicated that even modest access to books and daily reading time were associated with measurable gains in print knowledge and word reading fluency. Spanish reading measures demonstrated strong cross-linguistic correlations with English literacy outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of supporting bilingual families and emphasize the role of speech-language pathologists in advocating for culturally responsive literacy practices.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Roberts, Sophie Watkins, "The Impact of Bilingual Home Literacy Practices on the Emergent Literacy Skills of Hispanic Youth" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1117.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1117
