Analysis of a Causal Model about the Relationship of HOME, Socio-demographic variables to Children's Verbal Ability

가정환경자극, 사회인구론적 변인과 아동의 언어능력간의 인과모형분석

This study examined the characteristics of the relationship of HOME, sociodemographic variables and children's verbal ability at age four, five, six, Expecially this study investigated causal relationships amoong the variables which are supposed to affect children's verbal ability by children's age and sex. The subject of this study were 180 children and their mothers. Instruments included inventory of home stimulation(HOME), inventory of socio-demographic variables, inventory of the children's verbla ability. The results obtained from this study were as follows : 1. For the most part, HOME and socio-demographic variables had a significant positive correlation with children's verbal ability. 2. The variables that significantly predicted children's verbal ability differed according to children's age and sex. That is, play materials, breadth of experience and economic status of the home were predictive of boy's verbal ability at age four, while aspects of physical environment, breadth of experience were predictive at age five, fostering maturity and independence, parent's education were predictive at age six. And developmental stimulation and breadth of experience were predictive of girl's verbal ability at age four, while developmental stimulation, economic status of the home were predictive at age five, developmental stimulation and play materials were predictive at age six. 3. the results of the analysis of the causal model showed that the kind of variables that affected children's verbal ability directly differed according to children's age and sex. That is, indirect stimulation and direct stimulation affected boy's verbal ability directly at age four and five, while indirect stimulation and parent's education affected boy's verbal ability at age six. And indirect stimulation, direct stimulation, emotional climate of the home affected girl's verbal ability directly at age four, while direct stimulation, economic status of the home, indirect stimulation affected directly at age five, parent's education, indirect stimulation and direct stimulation affected girl's verbal ability at age six. 4. Another causal model of the HOME, socio-demographic variables affecting children's verbal ability showed that total HOME scores more significantly affected boys and girl's verbal ability directly than socio-demographic variables at all ages.