Exploring the Role of Communication Skills in the Relationship Between Reading Attentiveness and Cultural Literacy Among Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers: A Mediation and Moderation Analysis

Abstract

This research investigates the roles of communication skills, reading attentiveness, and cultural literacy among pre-service elementary school teachers, with particular emphasis on how cultural literacy mediates and moderates the relationship between communication skills and reading attentiveness. Adopting an exploratory quantitative design, data were collected from 207 pre-service teachers across six Indonesian universities. Confirmatory factor analysis, mediation and moderation analyses, and ANCOVA were employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that communication skills significantly influence cultural literacy and reading attentiveness. Cultural literacy, in turn, mediates and moderates the relationship between communication skills and reading attentiveness, with demographic variables such as age and geographical background also exerting significant effects. The results suggest the importance of integrating cultural literacy into teacher education programs, as it enhances both communication competence and reading engagement, thereby fostering more inclusive and effective teaching practices.