Development of writing skills within a home-based, shared reading intervention: Re-analyses of evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Achievement gaps in students' literacy skills by socioeconomic status (SES) are prevalent across the globe. Theory suggests that reading and writing skills rely on similar knowledge and cognitive processes, yet home-based reading interventions do not typically investigate effects on writing outcomes. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the effect of a parent focused shared-reading intervention on writing skills of 1587 second-grade students in Denmark. Parents were provided with books and encouraged to have their children read with them regularly. Children's writing skills at the word, sentence, and text levels were measured at the end of the intervention. In addition to the previously reported effects on children's reading skills, the current analysis found that the shared-reading intervention also had effects on the children's gains in writing skills at the sentence and text levels. Initial gaps in writing skills based on maternal education and gender of the children were reduced by the intervention.