English-Speaking Foreign Domestic Helpers and Students' English Reading Attainment in Hong Kong

The English reading comprehension ability of 4,352 Grade 4 Hong Kong students was tested. The students' parents completed questionnaires about home factors, including monthly income, language habitually spoken at home, whether the mother was employed, and whether an English-speaking domestic helper resided there. Analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between reading attainment and whether the child had an English-speaking domestic helper at home. The relationship was stronger than that between reading attainment and whether the parents speak some English. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a statistically significant difference between the reading attainment of students who had an English-speaking domestic helper and their peers who did not. It also revealed statistically significant differences between students' reading attainment scores and the parents' socioeconomic status (SES) and the mother's employment status.