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Abstract
Shared book reading is thought to have a positive impact on young children's language development, with shared reading interventions often run in an attempt to boost children's language skills. However, despite the volume of research in this area, a number of issues remain outstanding. The current meta-analysis explored whether shared reading interventions are equally effective (a) across a range of study designs; (b) across a range of different outcome variables; and (c) for children from different SES groups. It also explored the potentially moderating effects of intervention duration, child age, use of dialogic reading techniques, person delivering the intervention and mode of intervention delivery.Our results show that, while there is an effect of shared reading on language development, this effect is smaller than reported in previous meta-analyses (g‾ = 0.194, p = .002). They also show that this effect is moderated by the type of control group used and is negligible in studies with active control groups (g‾ = 0.028, p = .703). Finally, they show no significant effects of differences in outcome variable (ps ≥ .286), socio-economic status (p = .658), or any of our other potential moderators (ps ≥ .077), and non-significant effects for studies with follow-ups (g‾ = 0.139, p = .200). On the basis of these results, we make a number of recommendations for researchers and educators about the design and implementation of future shared reading interventions.
Highlights
Research has shown that poor language skills in the early years can have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the child (Hoff, 2013; Pace, Alper, Burchinal, Golinkoff, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2018)
While there is an effect of shared reading on language development, this effect is smaller than reported in previous meta-analyses (g = 0.194, p = .002)
In the current meta-analysis, we show that, while there is an effect of shared reading on language development, this effect is smaller than reported in previous meta-analyses (g = 0.194, p = .002) and that the effect is near zero when active control groups are used (g = 0.028, p = .703)
Summary
Research has shown that poor language skills in the early years can have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the child (Hoff, 2013; Pace, Alper, Burchinal, Golinkoff, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2018). Research has suggested that rates of language delay are linked to socio-economic status, with higher rates for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children as young as 18 months show differences in their vocabulary size and language processing abilities based on their family socio-economic. Educational Research Review 28 (2019) 100290 status (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder, 2013; McGillion, Pine, Herbert, & Matthews, 2017). This social gradient in language development increases over the preschool years. Locke, Ginsborg, and Peers (2002) found that more than half of children starting nursery school in disadvantaged areas of England had delayed language skills despite their general cognitive abilities being in the average range for their age. Research has indicated that vocabulary at age five is the best predictor of whether a child from a socially disadvantaged family will manage to “buck the trend” and escape poverty in later adult life (Blanden, 2006)
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