Joint Book Reading Research Articles

“Time for a Story” – Joint Book-Reading

Joint book-reading is an interactive routine with reported benefits for child language development. This study examined communicative behaviours in two different groups of mother-child dyads during joint book-reading; one group consisting of children with typical development and the other group consisting of children with Down Syndrome. Some differences in communicative behaviours were observed between the two groups. The children with Down Syndrome displayed responsiveness in interaction as well as initiation skills. Their mothers were as responsive to their child’s behaviours as the mothers of the typically developing children. However, they displayed lower use of positive reinforcement, and used labelling, description, directives and attentional markers with greater frequency. On the other hand, many behaviours were used with broadly comparable frequencies by both groups – including questioning and expansions. One finding of the present study was a large variance in the communicative behaviours of different dyads. Findings and implications are discussed.

Joint Book Reading across Cultures: A Comparison of Surinamese-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch, and Dutch Parent-Child Dyads

This article reports about in-depth analyses of how parents from different cultural groups mediated a simple narrative text to their 4-year-old children. The sample included 19 Surinamese-Dutch, 19 Turkish-Dutch, and 19 Dutch low-SES dyads. The sessions videotaped in the families' homes were transcribed and coded with a detailed behavioral coding system that maps the function and content of parent and child behaviors. In addition, the sessions were rated on four 7-point scales for how parents interacted with their children in terms of supportive presence. Overall the study supports the hypothesis that when reading is less important for the parents personally, they are less inclined to deviate from the text in order to negotiate meaning. Their children initiated more interactions than other children did, but low-cognitive-demand behaviors such as naming details or identifying pictures of characters characterized these interactions. The ethnic groups also differed in how parents interacted with their children, but these characteristics of the reading session were not related to parental literacy.

Joint Book-Reading Strategies in Middle-Class African American and White Mother-Toddler Dyads: Research Note

Twenty middle-socioeconomic class mother-toddler dyads were video recorded during three joint book-reading activities. Ten of the dyads were White, and 10 were African American, who were balanced for family income and parental occupation. The children ranged in age from 18 to 30 months and were normally developing. The parents read an experimental book to their child two times and a favorite book they brought from home one time. Videotapes of the joint book-readings were analyzed to determine cultural differences and the effects of book familiarity on the occurrence of maternal and child communication behaviors. The results do not support the findings of an earlier study in which differences in caretaker questioning behaviors were found between working-class African American and White participants. In contrast, the present study showed many similarities between the cultural groups in joint book-reading behaviors. However, the White group used significantly more labeling as compared to the African American group. These findings suggest the importance of considering socioeconomic level in multicultural research. Several effects of familiarity were also found. The findings are compared to anthropological reports on caretaker-child interaction in African American families, and implications are discussed.

Effects of Commenting During Joint Book Reading by Mothers with Low SES

This study investigated whether teaching mothers with low socioeconomic status (SES) to comment while reading to their children would increase communicative interaction in mother-child dyads and improve the children's emerging literacy skills. Three children with developmental disabilities and four at-risk children participated. Mothers were taught to comment on the literary content in books in a way that related events and characters in the story to the child's own experiences. A multiple baseline across participants with an embedded withdrawal design was used to evaluate the effects of intervention on parent-child interactions. All mothers increased their use of specific comments. Most mothers also increased other conversational acts that set the occasion for positive verbal interactions and increased their responsiveness to their children. All children demonstrated more assertive and responsive utterances during the commenting intervention. Four of the children showed improved emerging literacy skills on a standardized measure. These changes in interaction patterns during book reading seemed to provide improved opportunities for language learning and language use by low-SES children with and without developmental disabilities, as well as increased exposure to early literacy experiences.

Étayage maternel de l'attention dans une situation de lecture à des enfants de 1 à 3 ans

Joint book reading may be considered as an adequate situation to study attention in young children, as it requires from them to sustain attention until the end of the book. Moreover, mothers participate in this orientation, and the present research considers both children's attentional ability and mothers' scaffolding strategies. Thirty-six dyads with 11- to 31 -month-old children were videorecorded when reading a picture book and a story book. Results show that in this situation even 1 1 -month-olds are capable of sustaining their attention for long moments, much longer than in play activities around toys. Mothers adjust their verbalizations and their posture to the child's level of development, but at any age they do not modify their usual behavior when the child becomes less attentive. Their main aim seems to carry on a reading routine. This framing is flexible and powerful enough to the child back to the common activity.

Parent-Child Book Reading as an Intervention Technique for Young Children with Language Delays

The effect of instructing parents of children with language delays in effective joint book-reading techniques was compared with language facilitation through more general conversational instruction. Thirty-three children, 3 to 6 years of age, and their mothers participated. Parents receiving a version of Whitehurst's Dialogic Reading Training Program (Whitehurst et al., 1988) increased their use of what/who questions, open-ended questions, imitation, and expansions more than did parents receiving conversational language training. More modest effects were also found for the children, primarily in an increased rate of verbal responses to questions, increased number of different words, and increased Mean Length of Utterance. Parents whose behavior changed following the instruction were more likely to have had children whose language changed, a finding suggesting that the program affects children's development. In addition, correlations between children's pretest level and their change as a result of the treatment suggested that children learn different things from joint book reading at different points in development. On the whole, the results of this investigation of book-reading training suggest that it has considerable potential for facilitating language development with children with language delays, but that stronger interventions, monitored over a longer period of time, are needed.

Joint Book Reading Makes for Success in Learning to Read: A Meta-Analysis on Intergenerational Transmission of Literacy

The current review is a quantitative meta-analysis of the available empirical evidence related to parent-preschooler reading and several outcome measures. In selecting the studies to be included in this meta-analysis, we focused on studies examining the frequency of book reading to preschoolers. The results support the hypothesis that parent-preschooler reading is related to outcome measures such as language growth, emergent literacy, and reading achievement. The overall effect size of d = .59 indicates that book reading explains about 8% of the variance in the outcome measures. The results support the hypothesis that book reading, in particular, affects acquisition of the written language register. The effect of parent-preschooler reading is not dependent on the socioeconomic status of the families or on several methodological differences between the studies. However, the effect seems to become smaller as soon as children become conventional readers and are able to read on their own.

Joint Book Reading Makes for Success in Learning to Read: A Meta-Analysis on Intergenerational Transmission of Literacy

The current review is a quantitative meta-analysis of the available empirical evidence related to parent-preschooler reading and several outcome measures. In selecting the studies to be included in this meta-analysis, we focused on studies examining the frequency of book reading to preschoolers. The results support the hypothesis that parent-preschooler reading is related to outcome measures such as language growth, emergent literacy, and reading achievement. The overall effect size of d = .59 indicates that book reading explains about 8% of the variance in the outcome measures. The results support the hypothesis that book reading, in particular, affects acquisition of the written language register. The effect of parent-preschooler reading is not dependent on the socioeconomic status of the families or on several methodological differences between the studies. However, the effect seems to become smaller as soon as children become conventional readers and are able to read on their own.

A description of mothers' questions to their young deaf children during storybook reading.

The frequency and types of questions that four hearing mothers used with their 3- and 4-year-old deaf daughters was examined. Relationships between frequency and type of question and child mean length of utterance (MLU) measurements were also explored. Results indicated that the mothers used fewer questions than hearing mothers of hearing children but that the types of questions used were similar. Three mothers used text-related indirect commands, a question type not examined frequently in previous research. Child MLU measurements appeared to influence the amount and types of questions mothers used, although MLU, as measured in this study, may not have been a valid descriptor of the children's expressive language. Implications for the quality of language during joint book reading with young deaf children are discussed.

Keeping it in context: strategies for enhancing literacy awareness

Joint book reading is an integral part of family life for many children and has been considered significant in influencing subsequent success in literacy development. More needs to be known about how parents and children interact in a joint book situation. Do parents interact dif ferently with preschool children who have reached a higher level of literacy development versus children who are less aware of print? This study was designed to investigate how parents of high and low print aware children contextualize stories for them in terms of their prior knowledge. The sample consisted of 27 children and 40 parents. A familiar or favourite story and an unfamiliar story were read by each participating adult to his/her child. Tape recordings of the readings were transcribed and analysed descriptively to determine instances of contextualization. A Concept About Print test indicated the children's level of literacy development. Results indicated that High Print Aware children and their parents contextualized textual information within their own background experiences more frequently than did parents of Low Print Aware children and the Low Print Aware children them selves. Familiarity of text was more frequently a vehicle for con textualization.

Picture-book reading with a child with severe learning disability: a case study

Interactions between parent and child in joint picture-book reading have received considerable interest in studies of normal language acquisition. Less attention has been paid to the language-disabled child in this context. This single case study looks at the interaction between a severely impaired language learner and his professional caregiver during an episode of joint book reading. An examination is made of the nature of the interaction, the incidence of labelling, and the types of clarification requests used. It is shown that this context provides a framework within which a dialogue is developed between child and adult, with both contributing to the initiation of topics. These are then extended by means ofpredominantly open-ended question forms on the part of the caregiver. Future case studies are recom mended of individuals with different levels of language disorder, and the implications for practice are discussed.

Television as a talking picture book: a prop for language acquisition.

ABSTRACTThis study provides longitudinal observations of young children's behaviours while viewing television in their own homes, over a time when the children were actively involved in the process of language acquisition. Sixteen children were observed for a period ranging from 0; 6 to 0;8. At the beginning, their ages ranged from 0; 6.15 to 5.15; at the end, from 1; 2.15 to 3;0. The observations yielded documentation of an overwhelming and consistent occurrence of language-related behaviours among children and parents in the viewing situation. The categories of child and adult talk are reported, with description and examples of each category. The categories are compared with those reported for parent–child interactions outside the viewing experience, – in particular joint book-reading. A model of television as a talking picture book is proposed. It is argued that television has the potential to serve as a facilitator of children's language acquisition.

Clarification strategies in joint book reading

Within joint book reading, parents and children are provided with many opportunities to interact verbally. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of clarification requests and responses within such an episode. Five kindergarten children were read a traditional fairy tale by their mothers. The dialogue evolving from this experience was categorized into two main focuses - clarifying requests (form and function) and responses. Results indicated that whereas parents and children did not differ greatly in the nature of the function of their requests, they did differ in the form used to express requests for clarification. Differences for responses were also noted to both groups.

Context-related age changes in mothers' speech: joint book reading.

Context-related age changes in mothers' speech: joint book reading.

Joint book reading as a multiple vocabulary acquisition device.

Anat NinioHebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelThis study investigated serial effects in recurrent ostensive definitions of wordsin the context of joint picture-book reading by 20 mother-infant dyads. Contentanalysis revealed a number of labeling formats, among them simple labeling bythe mother or by the infant, elicitation of labeling by what-questions, elicitationof pointing by where-questions, and elicited and spontaneous imitation by theinfant. The dyads applied a mixture of labeling formats to the same referent onits successive occurrences. Imitation was more likely following previous error inlabeling than were correct labeling and pointing by the infant. No difference wasfound in the correct labeling rate following production, comprehension, and im-itation. Mothers tended to follow errors and no responses with simple labelingof the same referent on its next appearance, whereas they followed correct re-sponses with attempts to elicit labeling or pointing from the infant. The resultsimply that imitation, comprehension, and productive responses to words by vo-cabulary-learning infants do not represent different levels of word knowledge, andalso that the respective vocabularies are overlapping at a given point in time.Joint attention of mother-infant dyads torepresentational materials such as picturebooks constitutes a context that is especiallyappropriate for the acquisition of the first lex-icon (e.g., Werner & Kaplan, 1963). The coreprocess through which vocabulary teachingand practice occurs seems to be the so-calledostensive definition, in which a name ismatched to a representation of its referent(e.g., a picture), the latter in joint attentionof the participants.The realization of this core process in ac-tual mother-infant interaction might takevarious forms. One of the participants mightsimply label the picture after bringing it tothe attention of the other. The second par-ticipant might subsequently imitate that la-bel, either spontaneously or in response toa demand to do so. Participants might de-mand labeling by asking a question of thetype, What is this? or demand the provi-sion of the matching picture by a question

Joint book reading as a multiple vocabulary acquisition device.

Joint book reading as a multiple vocabulary acquisition device.

Children's Achievement at School-Entry Age as a Function of Mothers' and Fathers' Teaching Sets

Previous articleNext article No AccessChildren's Achievement at School-Entry Age as a Function of Mothers' and Fathers' Teaching SetsNancy E. DunnNancy E. Dunn Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Elementary School Journal Volume 81, Number 4Mar., 1981 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/461227 Views: 4Total views on this site Citations: 18Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1981 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Mary Ann Evans, Laura Hulak Learning to read at home: Kindergarten children’s report in relation to observed parent behaviour, Early Childhood Research Quarterly 50 (Jan 2020): 38–45.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.09.010Ofra Korat, Daphna Shneor Can e-books support low SES parental mediation to enrich children’s vocabulary?, First Language 39, no.33 (Jan 2019): 344–364.https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723718822443Stephen A. Petrill, Laura M. Justice Bridging the Gap Between Genomics and Education, Mind, Brain, and Education 1, no.44 (Dec 2007): 153–161.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2007.00016.xStephen A. Petrill, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Christopher Schatschneider, Chayna Davis Environmental influences on reading-related outcomes: an adoption study, Infant and Child Development 16, no.22 (Jan 2007): 171–191.https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.476Stephen A. Petrill, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Christopher Schatschneider, Chayna Davis Measured Environmental Influences on Early Reading: Evidence From an Adoption Study, Scientific Studies of Reading 9, no.33 (Jul 2005): 237–259.https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532799xssr0903_4Jian Wang, Emily Lin Comparative Studies on U.S. and Chinese Mathematics Learning and the Implications for Standards-Based Mathematics Teaching Reform, Educational Researcher 34, no.55 (Jul 2016): 3–13.https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X034005003Kirby Deater-Deckard, Stephen A. Petrill, Bessie Wilkerson The Northeast-Northwest Collaborative Adoption Project, Marriage & Family Review 33, no.2-32-3 (Jan 2003): 157–178.https://doi.org/10.1300/J002v33n02_03Carol S. Huntsinger, Paul E. Jose, Shari L. Larson, Dana Balsink Krieg, Chitra Shaligram Mathematics, vocabulary, and reading development in Chinese American and European American children over the primary school years., Journal of Educational Psychology 92, no.44 (Jan 2000): 745–760.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.92.4.745Monique Sénéchal, Jo-Anne Lefevre, Eleanor M. Thomas, Karen E. Daley Differential Effects of Home Literacy Experiences on the Development of Oral and Written Language, Reading Research Quarterly 33, no.11 (Nov 2011): 96–116.https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.33.1.5Adriana G. Bus, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, Anthony D. Pellegrini Joint Book Reading Makes for Success in Learning to Read: A Meta-Analysis on Intergenerational Transmission of Literacy, Review of Educational Research 65, no.11 (Jun 2016): 1–21.https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543065001001Adam C. Payne, Grover J. Whitehurst, Andrea L. Angell The role of home literacy environment in the development of language ability in preschool children from low-income families, Early Childhood Research Quarterly 9, no.3-43-4 (Jan 1994): 427–440.https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-2006(94)90018-3Elfrieda H. Hiebert Young Children’s Literacy Experiences in Home and School, (Jan 1993): 33–55.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4376-2_2Janice Light, Alison Kelford Smith Home literacy experiences of preschoolers who use AAC systems and of their nondisabled peers, Augmentative and Alternative Communication 9, no.11 (Jul 2009): 10–25.https://doi.org/10.1080/07434619312331276371John Follman Enhancing Children's Vocabularies, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 63, no.77 (Jul 2010): 329–332.https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.1990.10114120Carolyn Reeves, Richard Kazelskis, Penny J. Barr Emergent literacy: An exploratory study of the effects of an expanded language experience approach, International Journal of Early Childhood 21, no.11 (Mar 1989): 59–76.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03174575Jennifer M. Young‐Loveridge The relationship between children's home experiences and their mathematical skills on entry to school, Early Child Development and Care 43, no.11 (Jan 1989): 43–59.https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443890430105Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Cindy S. Adams Fathers' and mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's emergent literacy, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 44, no.11 (Aug 1987): 25–37.https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0965(87)90020-8Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Grant Cioffi, Richard F. Antonak A developmental sequence in preschool children's acquisition of reading readiness skills and print awareness concepts, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 5, no.22 (Apr 1984): 115–126.https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(84)90012-1