ABSTRACT Shared reading is a practice for promoting children’s literacy that parents may utilize at home. In particular, multimodal interactions between a parent and a child can play a role in fostering bilingual children’s reading experiences. This qualitative case study explores how a Korean bilingual mother multimodally supports her child’s shared reading practices. Data sources include an online survey, a monthly reading log, two home visit video observations, and a parent interview. Four multimodal cues are classified throughout the reading: pointing, hand gestures, nodding, and audio language. The three emerging themes of the parent’s nonverbal language in support of the child’s literacy practices include assisting in guessing vocabulary and meaning, drawing attention, and encouraging confidence. The implications of the study are discussed with regards to better promoting a home literacy environment, along with the open communication of relevant messages to parents and educators to offer more support for bilingual students.
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