Genetic and environmental effects on language, literacy, and cognitive skills, and later educational attainment

This project aims to address three gaps in research on the impact of genes and the environment on educational outcomes. Firstly, genetic factors are predictive of educational outcomes, but how these genetic influences manifest in early childhood is not fully understood. Secondly, in the past, research has underestimated the effect the environment may play in heightening or reducing the impact of genes. Thirdly, although we know that early childhood deprivation (as an environmental factor) can negatively influence language/literacy skills, cognitive ability, and educational attainment, how this interacts with genetic factors has not been well tested. The proposed project aims to examine all three of these gaps in the research using the Born in Bradford data. We will use a type of genetic analysis (polygenic scoring) that estimates an individual’s genetic propensity for a particular outcome (in this case educational attainment). Using this type of genetic analysis, we will test whether education-associated genes are associated with children’s scores on measures of language and cognitive skills, as well as children’s educational test scores at school age. We will then look at how genes interact with early caregiving environments, using measures of parenting and the home learning environment. Finally, we will test whether genes can play a protective role in educational attainment, by examining the impact of deprivation on environmental factors that also influence educational attainment. Overall, we hope to demonstrate that a complete picture of the pathways to educational attainment requires consideration of both genetic and environmental mechanisms.