Language- and Activity-Specific Associations Between English and Chinese Home Literacy Activities and Receptive Vocabulary Among Chinese–Canadian Children: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

This repeated cross-sectional study examined how English and Chinese home literacy activities were associated with receptive vocabulary among Chinese–English bilingual children in British Columbia, Canada. The study included 123 children in Grade 1 and 126 children in Grade 2. Children’s English and Chinese receptive vocabulary was assessed using standardized vocabulary measures, and parents reported the frequency of five home literacy activities in each language: book or magazine reading, computer or laptop use, television or movie watching, storytelling, and singing songs. Descriptive analyses showed that English home literacy activities were generally more frequent than Chinese activities across both grades. However, correlation and hierarchical regression results showed that Chinese receptive vocabulary was more strongly and more broadly associated with Chinese home literacy activities. In Grade 1, Chinese book or magazine reading significantly predicted Chinese receptive vocabulary, while English singing songs significantly predicted English receptive vocabulary. In Grade 2, Chinese book or magazine reading, computer or laptop use, and storytelling significantly predicted Chinese receptive vocabulary, whereas English book or magazine reading was the only significant home literacy variable for English receptive vocabulary. These findings highlight the language- and activity-specific nature of bilingual home literacy environments.