Parent-child Shared Book Reading Research Articles

Cognitive demand in parent–child shared book reading and home language development among dual language learners in low-income immigrant families

Aims and objectives: The existing literature indicates that shared book reading is associated with benefits in children’s home language development. Parents play a significant role in shaping children’s language outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among the quality of parents’ shared book reading, children’s language output, receptive vocabulary, and expressive vocabulary outcomes in the home language of dual language learners (DLLs) to inform book reading practices that can support DLLs’ early home language development. Methodology: 36 Mexican American (43–67 months) and 31 Chinese American (38–70 months) DLLs and their mothers, who were home language dominant, were recruited from Head Start programs, which are federally funded programs that provide early childhood education to low-income children, in Northern California. Data and analysis: Utterances produced by the parents during parent–child shared book reading were coded for cognitive demand levels. DLLs’ home language expressive vocabulary and receptive vocabulary and information about parents’ demographics and parent–child shared reading frequency were collected. Correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were computed. Findings/conclusions: The findings demonstrated possible cultural differences in mothers’ book reading quality regarding cognitive demand. Although maternal statements and questions were not significantly associated with DLLs’ home language receptive and expressive vocabulary for both groups, asking yes/no, referential, and inferential questions were more likely to evoke more language output from DLLs. Originality: This study extends the literature on home language development of low-income DLLs during parent–child shared reading, as only a few studies have investigated the significance of shared reading in the home language. Significance/implications: The findings of this study yield important implications for parents’ shared reading practices with low-income DLLs. Using all levels of cognitively demanding speech and encouraging DLLs to talk during shared reading may benefit their home language development.

Exploring the influence of the home literacy environment on early literacy and vocabulary skills in Korean-English bilingual children.

Studies have emphasized the significance of maintaining a heritage language for various reasons such as the establishment of linguistic and cultural identity, as well as socio-emotional development. Despite the crucial role that literacy development in a heritage language plays in language preservation, there is a scant research that explores the impact of home literacy environment and literacy development in children with a heritage language. This study aimed to examine the home literacy environment and literacy-related skills in 4-to 5-year-old Korean-English bilingual children living in an English-speaking country, Australia, whose heritage language is Korean, and to investigate the relationships among the home literacy environment factors and the child-internal literacy-related skills. The study employed parental questionnaires and video analyses of parent-child shared book reading sessions to assess the Korean and English home literacy environment. Children's early literacy skills in Korean and English, along with their Korean, English, and conceptual vocabulary skills, were measured as literacy-related skills. The findings indicated that parents utilized an indirect approach for Korean literacy practices, in contrast to a more direct and explicit method for English literacy practices. However, active and direct literacy practices were found to be essential for Korean early literacy development, while indirect methods are sufficient for English early literacy skills. Moreover, the availability of abundant Korean literacy resources at home had a positive impact on the development of Korean and English, as well as conceptual vocabulary skills. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of providing a robust literacy environment in a heritage language in bilingual families to promote language proficiency in both the heritage language and the dominant social language, while also supporting the development of conceptual language skills.

Exploring Maternal Interactions During Shared Book Readings in Indian Home Contexts

The importance of parent-child shared book reading (SBR) is well established. However, there is a limited understanding of parental interaction patterns during SBR among preschool children in the Indian context. Using a cross-sectional observational study design, mothers’ verbal and nonverbal behavior during SBR was analyzed in 26 Kannada-speaking mother-child dyads. Relationships between the quantity of SBR experiences and parental attitudes and beliefs about storybook reading were examined. Findings revealed that mothers predominantly used dialogic reading strategies followed by extra-textual talk, print referencing strategies, and nonverbal strategies. Few correlations were found between parental attitudes and beliefs and the quantity of SBR experiences. Implications for parent training in SBR are discussed.

Parent-child shared book reading mediates the impact of socioeconomic status on heritage language learners’ emergent literacy

The promotion of parent-child shared book reading for the development of children's literacy is a vital component of early literacy evidence-based recommendations. A robust body of research demonstrates that, regardless of socioeconomic status, parent-child shared book reading promotes monolingual children's literacy. However, despite the growing population of heritage language learners in the United States, those who grow up in homes where a familial language is spoken but receive English instruction at school, parent-child shared book reading research among heritage language learners remains scarce. Further, the impact of parent-child shared book reading is likely to alter the influence of family's socioeconomic status on heritage language learners’ emergent literacy development. Here, parent-child shared book reading and children's emergent literacy were examined using latent variable path analyses in a national sample of 965 heritage language learners ages 2 to 6 years old. Parent-child shared book reading mediated the effect of socioeconomic status on heritage language learners' emergent literacy.

Validity and reliability study of the parent-child shared book reading inventory

This study aimed to adapt the original form of the “Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Survey” developed by Cutler (2020) to Turkish and to test its validity and reliability. During the adaptation process, the survey was translated into Turkish first, and then the expert opinion was sought for validity, followed by back translation. The adapted inventory was finalized after the pilot implementation. The validity study of the Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Inventory included testing the factor analysis assumptions for the following five questionnaires included in the inventory: Reading Skills Beliefs Scale for Shared Book Reading, Parents’ Reading and Writing Habits Scale, Parents’ Modeling for Reading-Writing Habits Scale, Shared Book Reading Activity Scale and Child’s Reading Habits Scale. Then exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was implemented to 332 parents with preschool children. The accuracy of the factor structures revealed by EFA was tested on a second data set with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 158 parents. The results demonstrated that the Parent-Child Shared Book Reading Inventory is a valid and reliable measurement tool in assessing the quality and characteristic of parent-child shared book reading activities.

A Systematic Review of Parent–Child Shared Book Reading Interventions for Infants and Toddlers

Parents are encouraged to read to their children as early as possible. Multiple studies of parent–child shared book reading with children ages 3 years and older have shown positive outcomes on parent use of language-based strategies and child language development. However, few studies have included children under the age of 3; thus, little is known about interventions for parent–child shared book reading practices with infants and toddlers. In this systematic review, we examined 12 studies of interventions that included practice opportunities to support parent–child shared book reading practices with infants and toddlers between the ages of birth and 3 years. Across the studies, parents were taught to use interactive shared book reading strategies through a variety of teaching functions; however, only six studies included direct measurement of parent strategy use and child behaviors during shared book reading interactions. Directions for future research and the implications of this review are discussed.

Variability and stability in parent–child discourse during and following repeated shared book reading

Research on parent–child shared book reading (SBR) has focused primarily on a single reading of a book and on the reading of the text itself. Yet parents often repeatedly read the same book to their child and continue to converse after the book is finished. Using Bruner’s dual-landscape model as a theoretical basis, this study explored the variability and stability of parent–child discourse during and following three repeated readings of the same book, controlling for mother’s education and child’s language level. Participants included 50 preschool children (24 girls, 26 boys), whose average age was 55.64 months (SD = 4.53) and their parents (44 mothers, 6 fathers). We videorecorded three complete SBR interactions with the same book in the families’ homes. Analysis focused on parents’ and children’s utterances at the action level and the consciousness level. Negative binomial regressions revealed that parents made more utterances relating to the action level of the book in the first reading, decreasing across readings, and fewer utterances relating to the consciousness level of the book in the first reading, increasing across readings. Children spoke less than their parents but their involvement increased across readings. Following readings, parents used utterances relating to both the action and the consciousness levels, starting from the first post-reading conversation. Results also showed stability in the discourse; that is, there was consistency in the quantity of parents’ and children’s utterances across the readings and across the post-reading conversations. Repeated SBR and post-reading conversation have the potential to promote and enrich parent–child discourse surrounding both the action and the consciousness landscapes of a book and increase children’s involvement. We discuss how the current study provides research support for Bruner’s theory, and provides insights that can contribute to practical applications.

Beyond language: Impacts of shared reading on parenting stress and early parent-child relational health.

This study examined the interrelated and longitudinal impacts of parent-child shared book reading, parenting stress, and early relational health, as measured by both parental warmth and parent sensitivity, from infancy to toddlerhood. To extend findings from previous studies of collateral effects that have been conducted in parenting interventions, we examined parenting behaviors in a broader context to determine whether shared book reading would confer collateral benefits to the parent and parent-child relationship beyond those expected (i.e., language and literacy). It was hypothesized that positive parent-child interactions, such as shared reading, would have positive impacts on parent outcomes such as parenting stress, parental warmth, and sensitivity. The sample consisted of 293 low-income mothers and their children who participated in a randomized controlled trial. Shared book reading, parenting stress, and parental warmth were assessed when children were 6 and 18 months old. We computed a series of cross-lagged structural equation models to examine longitudinal interrelations among these three factors. Results indicated that shared book reading at 6 months was associated with increases in observed and reported parental warmth and observed sensitivity and decreases in parenting stress at 18 months, controlling for baseline risk factors and treatment group status. These findings suggest that early parent-child book reading can have positive collateral impacts on parents' stress and the parent-child relationship over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Maternal Self-efficacy and Maternal Depressive Symptoms on Parent-child Shared Book Reading

Maternal Self-efficacy and Maternal Depressive Symptoms on Parent-child Shared Book Reading

亲子共读：促进儿童心理理论提升的重要途径

亲子共读：促进儿童心理理论提升的重要途径

Association Between Television Viewing and Parent-Child Reading in the Early Home Environment

This study examines whether there is an association between time spent by preschoolers in parent-child shared book reading versus TV viewing in two distinct samples. Data were used from both the preschool wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Cohort, a nationally representative sample of 4-year-olds (N = 8900), as well as a low-income, rural sample of children enrolled in the Preschool Experience in Rural Classrooms study (N = 407). Information regarding frequency of shared book reading and daily TV consumption was obtained through caregiver report. A regression approach was used to estimate how the frequency of parent-child book reading accounted for variance in TV consumption. Estimated marginal mean values were then compared for the amount of TV viewed by children who were reported as being read to daily, frequently, occasionally, and not at all. Parent-child book reading was negatively associated with the amount of TV viewed by children in both samples. Specifically, television consumption was significantly lower for children who were read to daily as compared to those who were read to occasionally. This inverse association was not moderated by contextual factors including maternal education, household size, and composition, or time spent in nonparental care. This study provides empirical support for an inverse association between TV viewing and parent-child book reading activities. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Shared book reading and preschool children's academic achievement: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth cohort

AbstractThis paper examines the relationships among the quality and quantity of parent–child shared book reading (SBR) engagements and children's reading and mathematics outcomes in preschool. Additionally, we explore how child and family characteristics predict the quality and quantity of SBR. Quantity was measured using parental reports of the frequency of SBR. Quality was measured by observational protocols evaluating for questioning, vocabulary, and discussion depth. A structural equation model was estimated using data from a nationally representative sample of 700 children living in the United States from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth cohort. Results indicated that the quality of book reading was associated with children's mathematics outcomes, and the quantity was associated with reading outcomes controlling for contextual variables. Socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity, and children's age predicted the quality and quantity of book reading experiences. These findings indicate that frequent exposure to high‐quality book reading may positively impact children's mathematics and reading development, but that variation in SBR exists. SBR is a common practice among many parents; helping parents understand the multiple benefits of the practice may further increase the frequency and quality of the engagement. Implications for research and practice are addressed.Highlights This paper describes the relationship between parental book reading practices, mathematics, and reading outcomes. Structural equation models reveal relationships between the quantity of book reading and children's reading outcomes, as well as the quality of book reading and children's mathematics outcomes. High‐quality book reading may positively impact academic achievement in multiple domains, but results may vary based on contextual factors.

Embedding Mathematical Dialogue in Parent–Child Shared Book Reading: A Preliminary Investigation

Research Findings: Shared book reading provides a meaningful context for rich conversations to occur between a child and an adult and offers opportunities for children to be exposed to a range of vocabulary and concepts that often extend beyond their everyday experiences. Few studies have examined parent–child shared book reading as a context for embedding mathematical discussion. The purpose of this study was to examine systematically the effect of training parents to focus on mathematical concepts and vocabulary during shared book reading. Specific research questions were as follows: (a) Did parents increase their use of math talk during shared storybook reading following training? (b) Did parents generalize intervention strategies? And (c) did children increase their use of math talk during shared storybook reading? Results from a yoked multiple-baseline design with 6 dyads indicated variability across the dyads with 2 general patterns. Math talk increased following training for 3 of the dyads, whereas verbal mathematical behavior did not show consistent change for the other 3 dyads. Practice or Policy: Results are discussed in the context of home support for early mathematical development.

Parents' Interactions With Preschoolers During Shared Book Reading: Three Strategies for Promoting Quality Interactions

Research shows that home environments play a critical role in developing children's early literacy skills. Given the importance of developing early literacy skills to bolster children's chances for subsequent academic success, this article highlights the role of parent-child shared book reading. Summarizing research on different types of parent-child interactions during shared book reading, it unveils strategies that parents may use to maximize the benefits of these experiences. The strategies have implications across cultures to enhance understanding of and appreciation for home-based practices in building supportive literacy environments for preschoolers.

Enhancing parent–child shared book reading interactions: Promoting references to the book's plot and socio-cognitive themes

Abstract The study examined the efficacy of an intervention designed to promote parents’ and preschoolers’ references to storybooks’ plot and socio-cognitive themes during shared reading within a sample of 58 families from low-SES background. All parents were given four books, one new book weekly, and were instructed to read each book four times per week to their children. Parents in the control group were given no further guidance, whereas parents in the intervention group were guided in reading the books interactively with their children using Bruner's (1986) structure of the complete storybook reading experience. These parents were taught a four-reading model that guided them to first focus on the book's plot aspects (vocabulary, sequence of events, story structure) and then move on to its socio-cognitive aspects (mental terms, mental causality, references to the child's life). After the intervention, parents and children in the intervention group referred more than their control counterparts to both the book's plot and its socio-cognitive themes. The advantages of the intervention were maintained beyond effects of parental education and of children's gender, vocabulary, and social cognition level. The study revealed the importance of direct guidance of parents and the potential of shared reading contexts for eliciting rich conversations between parents and children. Discussion emphasized the importance of encouraging parents to refer to both the book's plot and its socio-cognitive themes.

Short reports: Parent-child shared book reading: current developments

Short reports: Parent-child shared book reading: current developments

Dialogic reading and morphology training in Chinese children: Effects on language and literacy.

This study investigates the effects of parent-child shared book reading and metalinguistic training on the language and literacy skills of 148 kindergartners in Hong Kong. Children were pretested on Chinese character recognition, vocabulary, morphological awareness, and reading interest and then assigned randomly to 1 of 4 conditions: the dialogic reading with morphology training (DR + MT), dialogic reading (DR), typical reading, or control condition. After a 12-week intervention period, the DR intervention yielded greater gains in vocabulary, and the DR + MT intervention yielded greater improvement in character recognition and morphological awareness. Both interventions enhanced children's reading interest. Results confirm that different home literacy approaches influence children's oral and written language skills differently: Shared book reading promotes language development, whereas parents' explicit metalinguistic training within a shared book reading context better prepares children for learning to read.

Shared book reading and children’s language comprehension skills: the moderating role of parental discipline practices

Parental discipline practices, parent–child shared book reading and children’s emergent literacy skills were assessed among 76 parents and their children in the summer before the children started Kindergarten. Parents provided narrative responses to open-ended questions about how they would handle common discipline challenges with children and rated their likelihood of using physical punishment. Parents also reported the number of books they read with their children each week and completed a checklist assessing their familiarity with the titles and authors of children’s books. Children’s emergent literacy skills were assessed with individually administered tests. Analyses of covariance indicated that shared book reading was reliably associated with children’s language comprehension skills only among parents whose responses to discipline scenarios included relatively high levels of nondirective reasoning. Parents who expressed a willingness to consider physical punishment had children with lower language comprehension skills regardless of the quantity of shared book reading. These effects were reliable after taking into account the effects of parental education and children’s nonverbal reasoning skills.