Investigation of the Reading Motivations of Preschool Children: A Multiple Regression Study

The study primarily aimed to examine how the reading beliefs and home literacy environments predict the child’s early reading motivation. The sub-objective of this study was determined as to whether this prediction differed according to the educational level of the mother, the time the child allocated for reading in a day, and the time the child read during the day. In the first stage stratified sampling was used and, in the second stage, the purposive sampling method was used. The sample group of the study consisted of 556 parents who had children between the age of 36-72 months and whose children enrolled preschool education. Personal Information Form, Parent Reading Belief Scale, Home Literacy Environment Scale, and Perceived Motivation Scale for Reading Picture Story Books for Children were used as data collection tools. The obtained data were analyzed by using the multiple regression analysis methods. According to the results, it was seen that the parent reading belief and home literacy environment predicted the child’s reading motivation. Also, this prediction differed according to the education of the mother, the time the child allocated for reading in a day, and the time the child read during the day. The results obtained have the potential to guide preschool parents, teachers, and field experts.