Shared Book Reading and English Learners’ Narrative Production and Comprehension

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined the relation between exposure to shared book reading and Spanish‐speaking English learners’ (ELs’; n = 102) narrative production and comprehension skills in kindergarten (mean age = 6.12 years). Audio‐ and videotaped book‐reading sessions in Spanish were coded in terms of teachers’ extratextual talk and gestures. Using a silent cartoon as a prompt, ELs’ fall and spring story retellings in Spanish were transcribed, coded, and compared on micro‐ (e.g., word tokens) and macrostructure skills (story structure); story comprehension was assessed using multiple‐choice questions. Results revealed that teachers’ extratextual talk predicted ELs’ narrative production (story structure) gains in the spring. Narrative comprehension gains were positively associated with teachers’ gestures. Findings suggest a nonuniform influence of shared book reading on ELs’ narrative skills, such that different features of the shared book‐reading experience target specific skills.