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Abstract
The current study examined the influence of the home literacy environment on pre-kindergarten childrens emergent literacy skills. Mothers educational level and childrens initial differences in their emergent literacy skills at pre-kindergarten entry were taken into account. Parent-child interactions during shared book reading were examined as an important aspect of the home literacy environment. Five measures of emergent literacy skills were used: receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter-name knowledge, and letter-sounds knowledge. The results indicated that parents and children focused more on meanings of the story rather than printed letters during shared book reading suggesting that the influence of home literacy environment was explained by childrens receptive and expressive vocabulary. The possible influences of mothers educational level and childrens pre-kindergarten experiences on childrens emergent literacy skills are also discussed.