This study investigated the causes, manifestations, and instructional challenges associated with phonological deficits among Grade One learners in a multilingual public-school setting. Anchored on the Phonological Deficit Theory, the research sought to explain how early language experiences, classroom behaviors, and instructional contexts interact to influence early reading development. A qualitative, multi-perspective exploratory case study design was employed. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with Grade One teachers and parents of learners identified with phonological deficits, as well as systematic classroom observations during phonological awareness activities. Purposive sampling was used to select information-rich participants from Tibaguin Integrated School. Findings revealed that phonological deficits stem from cumulative early environmental gaps, particularly insufficient oral language stimulation, excessive screen exposure, delayed or inconsistent shared reading, and limited exposure to nursery rhymes and sound-based activities. These early experiences were associated with auditory memory failure, poor phoneme discrimination, difficulty in blending and segmenting sounds, and delayed phonological awareness. Classroom observations showed that learners with phonological deficits exhibited low verbal participation, avoidance behaviors, and reduced peer interaction, indicating both cognitive and affective consequences. The study also identified significant instructional challenges in multilingual classrooms, including phoneme transfer interference from learners’ mother tongues, limited time for individualized intervention, lack of linguistically responsive instructional materials, and assessment bias between phonological deficits and second-language acquisition difficulties. The study concludes that phonological deficits among Grade One learners are multi-layered and reinforced by home, classroom, and institutional factors, requiring early, targeted, and linguistically responsive interventions. The findings support recommendations for strengthened parent–school collaboration, early phonological screening, teacher training, and the development of cross-linguistic instructional resources. The study aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by promoting inclusive early literacy practices. Its sustainability impact lies in strengthening educational and institutional capacity to address early reading difficulties, thereby supporting equitable learning outcomes and long-term academic resilience.

ABSTRACT This self-study investigates how educator-led shared book reading (SBR) strategies can be optimized to effectively support preschool children’s language and literacy development through the lens of sociocultural theory. Using a self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) methodology, the study examines the impact of high-quality interactions, verbal scaffolding, and diverse reading materials on children’s language and literacy developmental outcomes. The study draws on Author 1’s observations and reflections from her own teaching placements and current practice as an early childhood educator, with critical friendship of Authors 2 and 3. The findings reveal the crucial role of tailored interactive SBR sessions in children’s language and literacy development. The study also underscores the need for continuous professional development and improved language skills for early childhood educators to optimize SBR practices and support children’s learning outcomes.

This study examines young children’s speech acts during shared book reading within a natural family setting. The data consist of 151 naturally occurring utterances produced by two children aged 5 and 7 years (RA and NH) while reading several storybooks with their mother. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the study employed recording, transcription, utterance unit identification, and coding based on Searle’s classification of speech acts and Austin’s concept of illocutionary functions. The findings reveal that representative acts dominate the children’s utterances (81), followed by directives (31), expressives (30), and commissives (9). Declarative acts were absent, as young children do not yet possess the social authority required to perform linguistically transformative actions. The analysis also shows distinct pragmatic patterns between the two children: NH produced more representative and inferential utterances, whereas RA tended to use expressive and directive acts when responding to the story and illustrations. These results demonstrate that shared book reading provides a rich context for eliciting diverse speech acts and highlights developmental differences in the pragmatic abilities of children aged 5–7. This study contributes to the field by presenting naturalistic data from an Indonesian family context and by emphasizing the role of shared book reading interactions in shaping early pragmatic development.

Shared storybook reading in early childhood is crucial for cognitive and social development, but its association with broader developmental domains is less established. This study aimed to investigate the association between the frequency of shared storybook reading and overall child development. This study analyzed data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study. The frequency of shared storybook reading was assessed at multiple time points up to age 3. Child development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3). The association was analyzed using multivariate models adjusted for parental background, opportunities to play with the child, and media exposure. A total of 36,866 mother-child pairs were analyzed. The frequency of storybook reading positively correlated with the ASQ-3 scores across all developmental domains. After adjustments, frequent reading at age 3 was associated with a 5.5-point increase (95% CI: 5.0-6.0, p < 0.001) in communication scores compared to rare reading. Among children whose ASQ-3 scores fell below the cutoff at the age of 1 year, more frequent reading at subsequent ages was associated with greater score improvements. Frequent shared storybook reading positively correlated with the overall developmental progress in early childhood. Based on a large-scale nationwide birth cohort study, frequent shared storybook reading is positively associated with the overall developmental progress in early childhood. Even for children with developmental delays at age one, continuous reading was positively associated with their development.

Shared book reading (SBR) is an activity in which adults read a book together with a child and is used as an intervention activity to enhance children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)’s language skills. This is brought about by the employment of language and engagement strategies during SBR. However, there are inexperienced parents who do not employ these strategies during SBR, hence, professional guidance is needed, which can be facilitated with tools such as an observation checklist. This study aims to develop and validate an observation checklist that incorporates language and engagement strategies for assessing SBR sessions, and pilot the observation checklist using video data of parent-child SBR sessions by assessing the types and frequencies of strategies employed. The initial draft of the observation checklist, named Parental Reading Interaction Strategies Measure (PRISM) was developed based on a review of literature on SBR and language and engagement strategies. After development of the checklist items, the observation checklist was sent to a panel of eight experts to assess its content validity. Then, the checklist was piloted with two parent-child SBR session videos. Content validation results indicated that all items had an Item-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) of 1.0, and the checklist had a Scale-Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI) of 1.0. Pilot study results revealed that PRISM was able to capture and compare the types and frequencies of language and engagement strategies used by each parent. This data provides insights into the skills of parents of children with ASD during SBR session and has demonstrated the utility of PRISM in research, parental coaching and early language intervention.

Intended Outcomes and Core Components of Primary Care-Based Literacy Promotion as Defined by Experts.

The longitudinal interplay of print exposure and auditory brain responses in the prediction of reading skills.

We examined the effect of a shared storybook reading intervention on the language and communication skills of three male children aged between 61 and 69 months with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used a multiple-baseline across participants single case research design. The dependent variables were children’s verbal and non-verbal communicative behaviors (responding to and initiating communication). The independent variables were the use of three natural communication teaching strategies (modeling, mand-model, and time delay). We found that verbal and nonverbal response rates and initiation frequencies improved with use of modeling, mand-model, and time delay strategies. Additionally, the children maintained these skills 2 to 3 weeks after the intervention sessions had ended. Social validity data were collected through interviews with parents and focused on the families’ goals and expectations for the intervention, the procedures of the intervention, and the outcomes obtained at the end of the intervention. Parents expressed high satisfaction regarding the intervention outcomes.

ABSTRACT The effects of language and literacy skills developed during early childhood on subsequent literacy achievement are well-known. As children's first teachers are their parents, supporting these skills in the home environment is necessary. This study investigated the effect of the Shared Book Reading (SBR) program based on print awareness on children's language and early literacy skills in children from low socioeconomic households. Thirty – four mother–child dyads were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. Mothers in the intervention group attended training sessions on using shared book reading strategies through picture books for 12 weeks. The analyses revealed positive effects of the parent-implemented shared book reading program on early literacy skills and the early literacy environment. These findings highlight the potential positive impact of a parent-implemented shared book-reading program on the early literacy experiences and skills of children from low socioeconomic households. The findings show that the mothers in the intervention group were able to transform their children's home education environment into one that valued and contributed to the children’s early literacy experiences and had a positive effect on early literacy skills.

Literacy skills, particularly reading and writing, are essential foundations for children’s cognitive, academic, and social development. Children living in orphanage often experience limited access to adequate literacy support, leading to disparities in their learning progression. This community program aims to strengthen the literacy abilities of children at the Kasih Ibu Orphanage in Central Aceh through structured mentoring activities. The methods applied include shared reading sessions, guided discussions on text content, writing practice, literacy worksheets, and educational games. Data were collected through observations, children’s worksheets, and activity documentation. The results indicate improvements in reading motivation, active engagement during reading activities, and the development of basic writing skills. Although some children continue to face challenges in reading fluency and text comprehension, the program successfully created an enjoyable learning environment and enhanced their confidence in written communication. Continuous literacy mentoring is expected to further strengthen the children’s foundational literacy skills and contribute positively to their academic growth

Shared reading is one of the most language-enriched contexts in children's home environments. A salient, understudied characteristic of shared reading is caregiver oral reading prosody. While caregiver prosody in conversational contexts is linked to children's understanding of spoken language, it remains unclear whether caregivers' oral reading prosody relates to preschoolers' storybook listening comprehension. The present study examined caregiver oral reading prosody in relation to preschool-age children's listening comprehension of book text. Thirty-eight caregivers read a children's book to their child (ages: 4-5 years) without extratextual discussion. Children then answered cued recall questions about the story and were assessed on broader listening comprehension skills via standardized assessment. The caregivers' reading prosody, including intonation/pitch (fundamental frequency [fo] mean, range, standard deviation) and timing (speech rate, appropriate and inappropriate pauses) features, were quantified from audio recordings of the interactions. Findings revealed that caregiver fo range and appropriate pause duration were both positively associated with children's cued recall accuracy scores. Furthermore, the prosody measures significantly predicted unique variance in children's cued recall accuracy when controlling for child age, broader listening comprehension skills, attention, and caregiver education. Considering that listening comprehension is a well-established predictor of children's long-term academic success, this study carries implications for identifying factors that relate to children's comprehension of linguistic input prior to the start of formal schooling. Overall, results provide foundational insight about one specific, understudied caregiver reading technique that may help facilitate positive language outcomes for children.

This study investigated the effects of the shared reading technique LuDiCa (Dialogic Reading for Deep Comprehension) on interpersonal and literary empathy among school-age children. In the LuDiCa method, a pre-reading analysis of the story leads to the preparation of open-ended questions that are used during shared reading with children. Unlike traditional dialogic reading, these questions are carefully designed to foster deep comprehension by guiding discussion around narrative functions. Narrative functions are what the story shows the reader through events, dialogues, descriptions and other elements, often implicitly. Twelve children participated in LuDiCa sessions of stories about immigrants and refugee children. LuDiCa significantly promoted expressions of both interpersonal empathy among participants and literary empathy toward immigrant and refugee characters. The findings suggest that interactive group reading sessions using the LuDiCa method can effectively enhance empathy, contributing to a deeper understanding of diverse human experiences.

In the current study, we described a multitiered study of coaching the coaches via telepractice (CCT) intervention package. The CCT was an intervention program designed to train and coach early intervention service providers (EISPs) so that they can coach parents to use evidence-based naturalistic communication teaching strategies (i.e., modeling, mand-model, and time delay) and reading techniques during shared book reading with their young children with autism. Three participating service providers went through a self-directed training via online modules and were coached via telepractice technologies (videoconferences). Using a single-case multiple-baseline design across participants, we (a) examined EISPs’ implementation fidelity (accuracy/quality) of coaching practices, (b) assessed their knowledge on communication strategies and coaching practices, and (c) sought information about their perception on the feasibility and outcomes of the intervention. Visual analysis of the observational data showed a functional relation between the CCT program and EISPs’ coaching practices.

This study employs a case study design to investigate the impact of bilingual picture books on the oral narrative skills of a 4-year-old Chinese child. The research spanned 60 weeks, utilizing 20 Chinese-English bilingual picture books for shared reading activities. Through standardized scoring and independent rater assessments, the study analyzed the child’s oral narrative performance across early, middle, and later periods. Results demonstrate significant improvements in vocabulary richness, grammatical complexity, and story structure, with Chinese and English development exhibiting cross-linguistic facilitation effects. The study confirms that bilingual picture books can effectively promote bilingual oral narrative development in preschool children, providing empirical support for bilingual education.

This study investigated the effects of teletraining on parents' use of a target strategy to support communication by young children with multiple disabilities using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) within a shared storybook reading context using digital storybooks within visual scene display AAC systems. A single-case multiple baseline design was implemented remotely with six parent-child dyads, including parents of children with concomitant speech and motor difficulties (i.e., multiple disabilities). The independent variable was the instruction in the target strategy provided to parents via teletraining. The main dependent variable was parent accuracy implementing the target strategy. Data were also collected on the resulting effect on the total number of child communication turns during the shared storybook reading. All parents learned to implement the target strategy with > 80% accuracy, given instruction, feedback, and opportunities to role-play during two teletraining sessions (a total of 50-90 min total). Parents' use of the strategy following teletraining was associated with increased communication turns, increased use of aided AAC as a communication modality, and increased expression of unique vocabulary concepts by their children with multiple disabilities. This study extended the prior communication partner training research to include parents of young children with multiple disabilities who used AAC. The study also demonstrated the effectiveness, efficiency, and appropriateness of telepractice as a format for AAC intervention for geographically dispersed individuals with significant speech challenges. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30676292.

Individual differences in word learning from print and digital shared book reading.

ABSTRACT Prior research indicates that training parents to use dialogic reading fosters children’s early literacy and that dialogic prompts in an eBook encourage parents and children to talk about the story. The current study examines whether dialogic reading prompts embedded in a spatially-themed eBook can enhance parent-preschooler spatial talk, valuable because the acquisition of spatial language is linked to STEM skills in preschool-age children. Sixty-three dyads read either an enhanced eBook with prompts or a control eBook without prompts. Dyads using the enhanced eBook engaged in significantly more spatial talk, focusing on spatial dimensions and locations. In contrast, number-related talk (not central to the storyline) did not increase. These findings suggest that, given an appropriately-themed storybook, dialogic reading prompts can effectively promote spatial language during shared reading, potentially supporting early spatial development crucial for later STEM success.

Early parent-infant interactions are crucial for socio-emotional development; however, interventions to enhance these interactions in the context of prematurity remain underexplored. This study aims to explore the effects of shared reading on mother-preterm infant synchrony. A single-center pre-post study will be conducted at Amiens University Hospital, involving 20 preterm infants (at birth between 25 and 33 GW and at inclusion between 34 and 36 GW) and their mothers. Synchrony will be assessed at multiple levels—hormonal, physiological, behavioral, and psychological—during interactive and non-interactive periods. We hypothesize that shared reading sessions enhance physiological synchrony during interactive periods compared with non-interactive periods. Additionally, we expect post-intervention increases in oxytocin and vasopressin levels, with greater behavioral synchrony during reading sessions. Psychological synchrony will be determined through correlations between empathic moments identified by observers and increased physiological and behavioral synchrony. The findings could inform neonatal care practices, emphasizing the importance of early targeted interventions to enhance parent-infant bonding and improve developmental outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 18-day summer tutoring program in which university students delivered a 45-minute daily tutoring session to students in grades K-5 comprising 15 minutes of differentiated instruction and a 30-minute interactive read-aloud (grades K-2) or shared reading (grades 3-5) lesson. Students attending summer school (N = 99) completed measures of letter-sound knowledge, decoding skills, and/or oral reading fluency, depending on group placement, at the beginning and end of summer school. Students who attended the school, including those who attended summer school, completed the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-2) or the Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) in spring and fall, depending on grade, with an additional testing point at the end of summer to assess spring-to-summer gains for students who attended the summer program. Tutors implemented lessons with acceptable fidelity. Results from paired-samples statistical tests indicated significant pretest-to-posttest gains on measures of single-syllable decoding skills but not letter-sound knowledge, multisyllabic decoding skills, or oral reading fluency for students who attended summer school. Students who attended summer school also experienced significant spring-to-summer gains on TOSREC but not TOWRE-2. ANCOVAs on fall scores controlling for spring scores indicated no significant differences between students who attended and did not attend summer school on TOSREC, but students who attended summer school experienced lower fall scores on TOWRE-2. Results suggest that a summer tutoring program delivered by university students can lead to short-term spring-to-summer gains in foundational skills and silent reading comprehension.

Literary Exploration as a Resource for Professional Development: Junior Doctors’ Experiences of Shared Reading