Shared-reading in small groups: Examining the effects of question demand level and placement

Abstract

Shared-reading is an effective means of fostering preschool children’s vocabulary development, with questions widely used to increase learning. Theoretical explanations on effects of specific question features are, however, often contradictory. To examine different predictions relating to question demand level and placement, two stories were read in a pre-post-design to a sample of ninety-one 4- to 6-year-old German preschool children in small groups (five to seven children), whereby target-word learning (nouns and verbs) was measured via receptive word-recognition and expressive word-definition tasks. Demand level (low-demand vs. high-demand vs. scaffolding-like) was operationalized as a between-subjects factor and placement (within vs. after the story) as a within-subjects factor. In addition, as controls, one group received a reading-only condition and control words (not accompanied by questions) were interspersed in the stories. Results indicate that children’s target-word learning profited from questions, with the reading-only condition being less effective than the question conditions regarding receptive word recognition and significantly inferior to low-demand questions on expressive word definitions. Contrary to predictions made by different theories, question placement, demand level, and their interaction with children’s vocabulary size or phonological working memory had no differential effects on expressive and receptive target-word learning gains.