Purpose

Previous research has mostly explored how new immigrant preschoolers lag behind their native peers in terms of academic performance and their adjustment to life without investigating the possible mediators of their disadvantages. It is thus necessary to identify such mediators and to try to eliminate such differences. In this study, 3-year-old preschoolers were analyzed. Ethic group (new immigrant versus native) was used as an independent variable to investigate its impact on cognitive, language, social and emotional competencies. In addition, the mediating roles of environmental diversity, learning materials and learning stimulation on the competencies of preschoolers were explored.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this study were collected from 36-month- old preschoolers during the first Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care (KIT) survey. After samples with missing data were removed from a dataset of 2,164 preschoolers, 1,889 native preschoolers (both parents have Taiwanese nationality) and 166 immigrant preschoolers (one parent has Taiwanese nationality and the other is an immigrant from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao or Southeast Asia) were selected. As research tools, we used a basic informational questionnaire; a behavioral rating inventory of cognitive development for 2- to 5-year-old children administered as a parent assessment; an inventory of language development for 0- to 6-year- old children administered as a parental questionnaire; a social- emotional development questionnaire; and a family environment questionnaire measuring environmental diversity, learning materials and learning stimulation. A multiple mediator analysis was performed using PROCESS.

Findings/results

After the parents’ socioeconomic status and education levels were controlled for, the new immigrant preschoolers had significantly lower scores on all competencies and family environment dimensions than the native preschoolers, and all family environment dimensions were positively correlated with all competencies. In addition, learning stimulation and learning materials completely mediated the difference in cognitive competence between the new immigrant and native preschoolers, whereas learning stimulation, learning materials and environmental diversity partially mediated differences in language, social and emotional competency between the new immigrant and native preschoolers. That is, the gap in cognitive competence between new immigrants and native preschoolers may be because new immigrants receive less learning stimulation and learning materials than native preschoolers. The differences in language, social and emotional competency found between the new immigrant and native preschoolers can be partially attributed to a lack of learning stimulation, learning materials and environmental diversity.

Originality/value

This study is the first in Taiwan to investigate the mediating effects of multiple family environmental factors, including environmental diversity, learning materials and learning stimulation, on various competencies of new immigrant and native preschoolers. The family environment is an acquired factor that affects preschoolers differently. Improved learning environments might help eliminate the disadvantages facing immigrant preschoolers. This study specifically analyzes the possible influencing factors of the disadvantages of new immigrant preschoolers and establishes a more complete investigation of the effect of family environments on the development of these individuals’ cognitive, language, social and emotional competencies, demonstrating the value of this study.

Suggestions/implications

It is recommended that new immigrant parents provide high- quality learning resources with environmental diversity, learning materials and learning stimulation at their core. Family environments have different impacts on the various competencies of new immigrant preschoolers. In particular, learning stimulation has the greatest impacts on cognitive, language and emotional ability, while learning materials have the greatest impacts on social competence. Appropriate learning resources should be provided to effectively guide the development of various competencies in new immigrant children and to thus reduce the gap between them and native children.