Links between preschoolers' literacy interest, inattention, and emergent literacy skills

•Examined the relations between inattention, literacy interest, and early literacy development•Participants were 169 preschool-age children•Inattention and literacy interest related to each other•Inattention and literacy interest uniquely related to early literacy in regression analyses•Literacy interest partially mediated the relation between inattention and early literacy skills

There is strong evidence that inattention and interest are associated with academic-related skills in school-age children. However, less research has examined the unique and overlapping relations between these constructs in early childhood. This study examined the relations between inattention, literacy interest, and early literacy development in 169 preschool-age children. Inattention was assessed with both teacher reports and a continuous performance test. Literacy interest, as a component of motivation for literacy, was assessed with parent reports, and early literacy skills were assessed with the Test of Preschool Early Literacy. Inattention and literacy interest uniquely related to each other and to early literacy skills in regression analyses. Mediation analysis indicated that the relation between inattention and early literacy skills was partially mediated by children's interest in literacy. These findings indicate that literacy interest and inattentive behaviors contribute individually, directly, and indirectly to the development of early literacy skills.