Household Chaos and Emergent Literacy Development in Young Children

Abstract

Household chaos is defined as a home environment high in disorder, crowding, and noise, and low in routine/rituals (Wachs & Evans, 2010). However, rarely have all aspects of chaos been examined in a single study. This research project had three aims. The first was to develop a more comprehensive measure of household chaos that included all aspects from the definition (Study 1). The second aim was to examine the relation between these different dimensions of household chaos and language and literacy development in early childhood (Study 2). The third was to examine potential antecedents of chaotic household environments (Study 3).