Learning during lockdown: na analysis of educational vulnerabilities and the impacts on the home literacy environment during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dyslexia; Home Literacy; Reading; Education
Purpose: The family literacy environment is an important factor for the development of reading and writing. Children with a family history of dyslexia may have reduced access to reading resources and engage less in literacy activities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article was to compare the family literacy environment, with and without a family literacy history, before and during the pandemic. Method: 676 families responded to the COVID-19 Home Environment Literacy Practices - COVID19-HELP Questionnaire, providing information about family literacy practices and resources in the periods before and during the pandemic. The sample was divided into 190 children who were at familial risk for dyslexia (FH+, experimental group) and 486 children without a family risk (FH-, control group). Finally, the data were analyzed using the Generalized Linear Mixed Model. Results: In most statistically significant variables, children at family risk of dyslexia presented lower average home literacy resources and activities. Concerning the time period, there were significant increases in the number of digital books for children, digital educational games related to letters, reading, or math for children, actively played educational video or computer games. The interaction between the group and period was not significant. Conclusions: the findings demonstrate that children at familial risk for dyslexia presented lower frequencies of family literacy activities and resources. However, no differences in interaction between the group and time period were observed, suggesting that the increase and decrease in home literacy resources and practices primarily stem from group disparities, rather than modifications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.