TELEVISION VIEWING, EDUCATIONAL QUALITY OF THE HOME-ENVIRONMENT, AND SCHOOL READINESS

The relationships among school readiness, children's television viewin g, parental employment, and the educational quality of the home enviro nment were examined. Thirty preschool children from tow-income familie s and their primary caregivers were interviewed. Parents responded to questions about children's television viewing habits, the educational quality of the home environment, and employment status. Children were assessed on IQ and school readiness. Correlational analyses indicated that television viewing time was negatively related to parental instru ction and number of children's books in the home. Viewing time was als o negatively related to children's school readiness skills. Findings a re discussed in terms of their implications for an understanding of ho me environmental influences on the academic skill development of disad vantaged preschoolers.