The influence of parenting styles and child-parent relationship on home literacy environment: empirical evidence from Malaysia

Early literacy skills develop in the home environment with parenting approaches and the relationships between parents and children serving as the main influencing factors. This study examines the impact of parenting styles and child-parent relationships on the home literacy environment (HLE) among Chinese preschoolers in Malaysia. 385 mothers of Chinese preschoolers from Kota Kinabalu participated in a survey through questionnaires whereby key variables were assessed. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analyses were utilized to analyze data. The descriptive findings indicated that most mothers had adopted an authoritarian parenting approach, perceived a close relationship with their child and reported a high level of HLE with their Chinese preschoolers. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that there was neither a significant relationship between HLE and parenting approaches nor with the child-parent relationship. Hence, there are no substantial influences of parenting styles and child-parent relationships on HLE. These findings underscore the empirical evidence of family and community factors on early childhood home literacy environment outcomes. This study provides valuable insights for teachers, parents and policymakers to design targeted interventions.