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Effects of shared parent–infant book reading on early language acquisition
Abstract
This study investigated whether shared parent–infant book reading at 4 and 8 months would be associated with subsequent language abilities at 12 and 16 months. Parents of 87 typically developing middle-class infants reported on the presence or absence of shared reading in the home; infant language abilities were measured through laboratory assessment and parent report. Results indicated that shared reading at 8 months was related to 12-month language abilities (particularly for girls) and 16-month language abilities over and above 12-month language scores. Moreover, there was a statistically significant effect of shared reading on expressive language but not on receptive language. Reading at 4 months was not significantly related to later language. Findings support the efficacy of reading to 8-month-old infants. Furthermore, relationships between shared reading and later language might depend on the genders of the parent and the infant. More research is needed to clarify what parents say and do when reading to pre-verbal infants.
... First, there is limited research on the frequency and quality of SBR with infants who are significantly related to language development, especially in the first year of life. The few studies that have assessed SBR between mothers and their infants find significant and positive associations between frequency during the first year and receptive and expressive language skills during the second year (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;O'Farrelly et al., 2018). To our knowledge, there is only one study that has assessed the quality of SBR with infants during the first year and its relation to language skills (Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019). ...
... A potential mechanism through which SBR might matter for language development is infants' attention. Infants who are read to more often and are read to with higher quality (e.g., a high number of reading strategies, such as labelling, elaborating, asking questions) may become more attentive to books and print than children who are not read to as frequently, or are read to with lower quality (i.e., few or no reading strategies; Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Malin et al., 2014). In turn, infants' increased attention may help them more effectively match the words they hear to their referents in the book, thus supporting vocabulary learning (Masek et al., 2021;Yu et al., 2019). ...
... We frame the current study using bioecological and sociocultural models that children acquire new skills through social interactions, such as SBR, with more advanced partners, such as parents, in the home environment (i.e., the microsystem; Bronfenbrenner, 1977;Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006;Vygotsky, 1978). During interactions, SBR facilitates active participation in reading, exposes children to a wide range of words and sentence structures that may not occur in daily speech, and gives children the opportunity to associate sounds with concepts and written language (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1991;Hood et al., 2008;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Mol et al., 2008;Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002. Research has shown that the frequency of SBR with young children is important for language development (Barnes & Puccioni, 2017;Duursma, 2014) and that SBR is more effective and more enjoyable when parents read in ways that scaffold children's learning of new words (Hargrave & Sénéchal, 2000;Huebner & Meltzoff, 2005). ...
Using a sample of 286 mothers and fathers from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, we tested the associations between the frequency and quality of parents' shared book reading (SBR) with infants aged 9 months, and language skills of infants aged 18 months, and whether infants' attention during SBR at 9 months mediated these associations. Frequency of SBR was parent‐report and quality of SBR (i.e., number of reading strategies) and infants' attention were coded from recorded SBR interactions at home. The majority of mothers and fathers reported reading to their 9‐month‐olds at least weekly, and mothers reported reading, on average, significantly more often than fathers. There was large variability in parents' SBR quality ranging from 0 to 15 strategies per minute, with labelling being the most common. Path analysis showed that mothers' SBR frequency at 9 months was significantly associated with infants' receptive and expressive language skills at 18 months, whereas, SBR quality by either parent was not significant. Infants' attention did not mediate these associations. These findings suggest that early SBR is beneficial for language development and programmes targeting early language development should encourage both mothers and fathers to read often to their infants during the first year.
... The present work builds on previous work that details some features of home book reading practices that caregivers engage in when reading to children. In the United States, caregivers report reading regularly to their infants soon after birth and reading frequency increases over the first two years of life (Deckner et al., 2006;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Young et al., 1998). At the youngest ages, 0 to 5 months, over 50% of caregivers in a nationally representative sample reported reading to their infants at least once a week and by 6-11 months that percent increased to over 75%, with over 25% of caregivers reporting that they read to their children daily (Young et al., 1998). ...
... The present study used an online survey of caregivers of children under the age of 30 months. Studies of shared book reading often focus on children on the cusp of learning to read (Fletcher & Reese, 2005;Mol & Bus, 2011), despite high rates of reading reported in even the first year of life (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Young et al., 1998). To understand how shared book reading may contribute to vocabulary, syntax, and other language development, it may be important to understand shared book reading habits in a larger age range of children, starting at birth. ...
... Non-population based studies with small samples also find positive relations between the frequency of shared reading with infants and language and literacy outcomes. Karrass and Braungart-Rieker (2005) examined this question longitudinally, finding relations between the frequency of book reading at 8-months and children's expressive and receptive vocabulary abilities at 12-and 16-months. Interestingly, they found no effect of shared reading when infants were 4-(2006) did not find a significant relation between shared book reading at six-months and children's language at 21 months in a small sample of lower-income families from the United States. ...
... However, direct comparisons between GUI and LSAC are difficult because the shared reading measure was collected at different time points, with GUI at 9-months and LSAC at 12-months. Small-scale, non-cohort studies with American samples report similar prevalence rates to the current data (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005). ...
It is well-established that participation in shared book reading interactions with caregivers supports children's early language and literacy development. Most of this literature focuses on reading experiences during the preschool period. Less is known about the nature and importance of such practices during infancy. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine literacy practices between parents and infants in a large cohort study, Growing Up in Ireland. Interview, survey, and direct measurements of children's language skills were used to examine whether parent-report of book reading practices when children were 9-months predicted child expressive vocabulary at 36-months (N = 9171). Regression analysis indicated that approximately 80% of 9-month-old Irish children are read to by parents. Characteristics of families who were more likely to report reading with children emerged: those with higher educational attainment, fewer depressive symptoms, and those who report a high-quality home language environment (e.g., reported talking more to children during everyday activities). Furthermore, children who were read to at 9-months had stronger expressive vocabulary skills at 36-months, even after accounting for socio-demographic and home literacy environment covariates measured at both 9- and 36-months. Results are discussed using a bioecological framework to describe how proximal and distal factors in the child's environment converge to impact early childhood literacy development.
... While educational television viewing and reading have been shown to have benefits for young children's vocabulary (e.g., Bus, van IJzendoorn, & Pellegrini, 1995;Rice, Huston, Truglio, & Wright, 1990), only television has been associated with poorer linguistic outcomes (e.g., Linebarger & Walker, 2005;Zimmerman, Christakis, & Meltzoff, 2007). In contrast, storybook reading during the toddler years is generally associated with enhanced language development (Dunst, Simkus, & Hamby, 2012;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Senechal & LeFevre, 2002). ...
... In addition, storybooks employ techniques, such as repetition and presenting words in different contexts, which are known to facilitate word learning (McMurray, Horst, & Samuelson, 2012). Thus, it is not surprising that early and frequent reading to children is related to long-term benefits for later expressive and productive language skills (Dunst et al., 2012;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Senechal & LeFevre, 2002). Bus et al.'s (1995) meta-analysis revealed that the positive relationship between early shared book reading with young children and later language skills is quite large (d = 0.67). ...
This study compares parent language directed at their toddlers while coviewing toddler-directed television and while storybook reading. Participants were 15- or 30- month-old children and their parent. A quantitative analysis of parent language revealed that it is more frequent, rich, and complex during reading relative to television viewing regardless of child age; although parents used more complex language and more diverse words with older children. The difference between media held even when the storybook text read aloud was not considered in the analysis. Consistent with the results of earlier research, shared book reading produces more and richer verbal interactions with toddlers than coviewing television and is thus more likely to positively influence early language development.
... The frequency of shared book reading was positively associated with receptive vocabulary in younger children and expressive vocabulary in both age groups, consistent with prior literature (e.g. Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Lenhart et al., 2021). However, this differs from Kartushina et al. (2022), who found shared book reading impacted receptive but not expressive vocabulary during lockdown. ...
... Research has shown positive effects of book reading on a wide range of early language skills, including child's receptive and expressive language skills (e.g. Arterberry, et al., 2007;Demir-Lira, et al., 2019;Farrant & Zubrick, 2011;Fletcher & Reese, 2005;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Mol & Newman, 2014;Ninio, 1983;Payne, et al., 1994;Senechal & LeFevre, 2002) and subsequent literacy skills (e.g. Bus, et al., 1995;Deckner, et al., 2006;Dickinson & Tabors, 1991;Lonigan, et al., 2000;Scarborough, et al., 1991;Shahaeian et al., 2018). ...
Substantial literature suggests that reading to children is positively associated with language outcomes, but the causal pathways are less well understood. One possibility is that reading to children promotes language input that is particularly useful for some aspects of language learning. To better understand the language that is produced during picture book reading, we built a sharable corpus of caregiver-child interactions during book reading recorded in homes. Caregivers overwhelmingly read the book text. However, books varied in the language they generated, with some books promoting more conversational turns and extra-textual language, while others promoted more overall words, unique words, and longer utterances. Relative to other conversational contexts, books generally generated overall more words, more lexically diverse talk, and longer utterances. We see different profiles of language generated during book reading that are all plausibly linked with language skills. If a causal pathway exists between shared book reading and language outcomes, a sensible candidate may be that reading provides a varied range of linguistic experiences.
... Relatedly, work in genetics, including recent large-scale genome-wide studies, have shown that reading-related skills and reading difficulty (Doust et al., 2022;Price et al., 2022) are associated with variation in genes involved in early developmental processes, including neurogenesis and axon guidance (Watabe-Uchida et al., 2006). Another risk factor repeatedly shown to affect children's literacy skills is the home literacy environment, which includes caregiver-child shared reading and reading-related resources, in preschool literacy skills (Burgess et al., 2002;Bus et al., 1995;Foster et al., 2005;Hamilton et al., 2016;Payne et al., 1994;Schmitt et al., 2011) and in infancy/toddlerhood (Demir-Lira et al., 2019;Hoff, 2003;Karrass and Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Laakso et al., 1999;Malin et al., 2014;Muhinyi and Rowe, 2019;Schmitt et al., 2011). Recent work has identified links between the home literacy environment and brain architecture in preschoolers/kindergarteners (Davison et al., 2022;Hutton et al., 2015Hutton et al., , 2017Hutton et al., , 2020Powers et al., 2016;Romeo et al., 2018b) and infants (King et al., 2021;Turesky et al., 2022). ...
Reading is one of the most complex skills that we utilize daily, and it involves the early development and interaction of various lower-level subskills, including phonological processing and oral language. These subskills recruit brain structures, which begin to develop long before the skill manifests and exhibit rapid development during infancy. However, how longitudinal trajectories of early brain development in these structures support long-term acquisition of literacy subskills and subsequent reading is unclear. Children underwent structural and diffusion MRI scanning at multiple timepoints between infancy and second grade and were tested for literacy subskills in preschool and decoding and word reading in early elementary school. We developed and implemented a reproducible pipeline to generate longitudinal trajectories of early brain development to examine associations between these trajectories and literacy (sub)skills. Furthermore, we examined whether familial risk of reading difficulty and children’s home literacy environments, two common literacy-related covariates, influenced those trajectories. Results showed that individual differences in curve features (e.g., intercepts and slopes) for longitudinal trajectories of volumetric, surface-based, and white matter organization measures were linked directly to phonological processing and indirectly to first-grade decoding and word reading skills via phonological processing. Altogether, these findings suggest that the brain bases of phonological processing, previously identified as the strongest behavioral predictor of reading and decoding skills, may already begin to develop by birth but undergo further refinement between infancy and preschool. The present study underscores the importance of considering academic skill acquisition from the very beginning of life.
Significance Statement
Reading is crucial for academic, vocational, and health outcomes, but acquiring proficient reading skills is a protracted developmental process involving lower-level subskills and brain structures that undergo rapid development starting in infancy. We examined how longitudinal trajectories of early brain development support long-term acquisition of reading using a reproducible pipeline we developed specifically for infant-to-school-age longitudinal MRI data. Findings suggest that the brain bases of reading-related skills begin to develop by birth but continue building between infancy and preschool. This study emphasizes the importance of considering academic skill acquisition as a dynamic process preceding the emergence of the skill, and it offers a roadmap for future studies to examine relationships between early brain development and academic skill acquisition.
... English vocabulary mastery in early life is not only a gift, but it also forms the basis for the growth of young children's linguistic talents (Korat, 2010;Munir & Warmansyah, 2023). During this developmental period, children not only learn the meanings of words, but also how to organize and express their own ideas (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005). According to Jiang et al., (2021), children's language development is significantly impacted by this period. ...
The Utilization of Digital Applications in Education Facilitates the Teaching and Learning Process. Quizlet, as one such application for language learning, is examined in this research to assess its effectiveness in enhancing Early English vocabulary for 5-6 years old. The research employs a quantitative method through surveys, collecting data via questionnaires based on theoretical frameworks. Results indicate that the use of Quizlet enhances English vocabulary for young children, as evidenced by their recognition of English words. This suggests that Quizlet can aid teachers in introducing English to early learners, providing an alternative method to improve English vocabulary for young children. Future research may explore further developments in the utilization of similar applications.
... Young children's learning occurs mainly in a dyadic context of an interaction with a knowledgeable caregiver: from this perspective, good dialogic parent-child communication that involves reading to the child at an early age is highly effective in promoting communication and language development [9][10][11]. Research on parent-child shared-reading interventions in early childhood [12] has highlighted the benefits for early language acquisition [13] and for accelerating language development [14]. Benefits for child's linguistic development occur following regular and dialogic reading [15], results confirmed by meta-analyses [16,17]. ...
Background
Research in the neurosciences has highlighted the importance of intersubjective relationships in promoting neuromental development of the child. Children’s learning in early childhood occurs mainly in a dyadic context of an interaction with their parents: from this perspective, good dialogic parent–child communication is required to be promoted also through good educational practices. Dialogic Book-Sharing (DBS), a dialogic form of parent–child communication through the use of wordless picture books, provides a privileged ‘intersubjective’ space and is highly effective in promoting communication, language, attention, behavioural development and the parent–child relationship. DBS programme, successfully previously trialled in South Africa and the UK, will be applied for the first time in Italy for research purposes in Italian health, educational and maternal-child centres.
Methods
A multicentre randomised controlled trial is being conducted to evaluate DBS parenting intervention for children aged between 14 and 20 months. Parent–child dyads are randomly allocated to a book-sharing intervention group or to a wait-list control group. In the intervention, parents are trained in supportive book-sharing with their children by local staff of the centres. DBS intervention is carried out in small groups over a period of 4 weeks. Data are collected at baseline, post-intervention and at 6 months post-intervention with a questionnaire and video recording of parent–child interaction.
Discussion
DBS programme in early childhood could enhance the educational resources offered by Italian health, educational and maternal-child centres, in support of child’s development and parenting. DBS represents a strategic opportunity for bringing about positive effects, also in terms of prevention of socio-emotional and cognitive difficulties. As such it represents a promising response to the new social, health and educational needs of the post-COVID-19 pandemic era caused by the social isolation measures. Furthermore, the application of the DBS methodology is a way to promote the use of books, and thereby counteract the excessive use of technological devices already present in early childhood.
Trial registration
The trial is registered on the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number database, registration number ISRCTN11755019 Registered on 2 November 2023. This is version 1 of the protocol for the trial.
... Shared book reading between caregivers and children is an important activity when it comes to the development of children's language skills [43,44], and it serves as a means for caregivers to introduce and teach their children new words [45]. Shared book reading helps the parent and child engage in exchanges that can be orderly and predictable [46] and has been shown to boost expressive language skills [47][48][49], vocabulary growth and later literacy skills ( [30,47,50]; see [51] for a meta-analysis), phonological awareness [52,53] and empathy development [54]. The benefits of shared book reading with caregivers have been extended to both analogue and digital contexts, with similar boosts in word comprehension and phonological awareness linked to the duration of time spent reading printed and e-books [55][56][57]. ...
This current study examines the extent to which children’s interests and caregivers’ sensitivity to their children’s interests are associated with the quality of caregiver–child interaction, and subsequent learning. Eighty-one caregiver–child dyads (24–30-month old children) completed an online shared book-reading task where caregivers and children read two e-books with pictures and descriptions of objects from different categories—one previously determined to be of low and one of high interest to the child (with one novel word-object mapping introduced in each book). We also obtained separate behavioural indices of children’s interests and children’s later recognition of newly introduced word-object mappings. Our findings highlight that the quality of caregiver–child interaction is predicted by children’s interests and caregivers’ perception of children’s interests, although we find only limited overlap between our behavioural indices of children’s interests and caregiver perception of children’s interests. Neither of these factors predicted later novel word recognition. Thus, while the dynamics between higher quality of caregiver–child interaction, children’s interests and learning remain inconclusive, caregivers and children appear to be more attentive, enthusiastic and engaged in reading about topics that (caregivers believe) interest the child. Furthermore, learning in itself seems to be successful, regardless of factors involved, through the mere task of shared book reading.
... Through an early metaanalysis of 29 studies, Bus et al. (1995) found that the combined effect sizes for the association between reading books and later language development measures was 0.59. Karrass and Braungart-Rieker (2005) investigated the effects of reading books in infancy and found a significant association between shared reading and later language development. Niklas et al. (2016) also found a significant correlation between the time when parents started reading to their children and later cognitive abilities. ...
This study examined the relationship between early parental treatment, specifically reading to young children and later cognitive development with a Bayesian perspective. Previous research established a positive link between parental reading to infants and their cognitive development, such as receptive vocabulary, reading comprehension and motivation to read. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this study analysed individuals aged 9 months to 22 years to investigate the effects of early reading to young children on nine cognitive variables. Bayesian statistical analysis controlled for pre‐existing differences and covariates to establish a causal association between reading and cognitive development. The results indicated that reading to infants and toddlers positively impacted their cognitive development beyond reading skills. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of the Bayesian approach in determining scientific significance and underscore the importance of early literacy interventions in promoting cognitive development.
... Early shared reading predicts later vocabulary (DeBaryshe, 1993;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005), but less is known about how and when such reading practices result in word learning. One mechanism might be that shared reading provides repeated encounters with pictures and their labels, fostering word learning over time (Heller & Rohlfing, 2017). ...
Little is known about the role of book features in infant word learning from picture books. We conducted a preregistered study to assess the role of touch-and-feel features in infants’ ability to learn new words from picture books. A total of 48 infants (Mage = 16.75 months, SD = 1.85) were assigned to a touch-and-feel picture-book condition or a standard picture-book condition (no touch-and-feel features) and were taught a novel label for an unfamiliar animal by the researcher during a book-reading session. Infants were then tested on their ability to recognize the label (i.e., choose the target from a choice of two pictures on hearing it named) and to generalize this knowledge to other types of pictures and real-world objects (scale model animals and stuffed animals). Infants in the no touch-and-feel condition performed above chance when choosing the target picture, whereas infants in the touch-and-feel condition did not. Infants in both conditions failed to generalize this knowledge to other pictures and objects. This study extends our knowledge about the role of tactile features in infant word learning from picture books. Although manipulative features like touch-and-feel patches might be engaging for infants, they may detract from learning. Depending on the purpose of the activity, parents and practitioners might find it useful to consider such book features when selecting books to read with their infants.
... The onset age of shared book reading has been found to be significantly associated with children's later emergent literacy skills, including grammatical knowledge and receptive and expressive vocabulary (Lenhart et al., 2022). Early shared book reading, even starting in infancy, contributes to later language acquisition, such as expressive vocabulary and receptive and pragmatic language skills (Barnes & Puccioni, 2017;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Leech et al., 2022;Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019). ...
Previous studies have elucidated the positive effect of the quantity and onset age of shared book reading on children's language development. Few studies have addressed the profiles of parental involvement in terms of different key aspects of shared book reading. This study adopted a latent profile analysis to examine the patterns of parental involvement in shared book reading and associated factors; 980 Chinese parents of kindergarten children were investigated. Three profiles were identified: (1) late start and infrequent reading; (2) early start and frequent reading; (3) medium start and intensive reading. Higher socioeconomic status, more literacy resources, and older age of the children were all found to be more likely to be associated with identification with Profile 2 than Profile 1. Implications for more targeted parental intervention programmes to broaden access to home literacy resources are highlighted.
... The literature has reported that hearing parents are sensitive to the linguistic and cognitive abilities of their children at different ages and amend their style of shared book reading interaction accordingly (Dwyer & Neuman, 2008;Fletcher & Reese, 2005;Karrass et al., 2005;Landry et al., 2012). Specifically, it was found that parents mostly choose wordless picture books when interacting with infants, and focus on labeling and making comments about pictures when reading to them (Fletcher & Reese, 2005). ...
This longitudinal multiple-case study research focused on the scaffolding strategies that two Israeli deaf mothers use to boost their young hearing children’s engagement in reading interactions. Despite being significant to language learning, few studies have examined the dialogic reading practices of deaf-signing mothers. The study shows that until the age of 22 months, the mothers shared picture books with their children. Between the ages of 12 to 24 months, the mothers used mostly low-demand cognitive prompts and responsive utterances. Between the ages of 24 to 36 months, they used more high-demand prompts (including open-ended questions) and expanded their responses. In line with previous studies, this research demonstrated that the Israeli deaf mothers used the books as a foundation for storytelling and reading conversations. The shared reading provided the mothers with opportunities to model the construction of ISL narratives and language functional behaviors, such as asking questions, describing things or expanding on the text.
... The cumulative skillbuilding process begins at birth with an awareness of language. It continues into grades K through 3, where children begin to master phonemic awareness (e.g., letters and sounds) and phonics (e.g., decoding) (Gillon, 2017;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005). ...
Reading comprehension is among the most challenging and complex skills to teach and research. Doing both well is critical to improving the reading comprehension proficiency of 67% of grade 4 students in U.S. public schools who scored below basic on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress. This Chapter presents Knowledge Acquisition and Transformation (KAT) as a model of an evidence-based technology reading comprehension intervention. With a decade-long history of intervention design, development, and evaluation, KAT has caused positive, meaningful, and statistically significant effects on upper elementary students’ reading comprehension. KAT developers accomplished this by integrating theory, practice, technology, and evidence while progressing through iterative cycles of intervention development and evaluation.
... The onset age of shared book reading has been found to be significantly associated with children's later emergent literacy skills, including grammatical knowledge and receptive and expressive vocabulary (Lenhart et al., 2022). Early shared book reading, even starting in infancy, contributes to later language acquisition, such as expressive vocabulary and receptive and pragmatic language skills (Barnes & Puccioni, 2017;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Leech et al., 2022;Muhinyi & Rowe, 2019). ...
... One key disparity is in early childhood development (ECD): whereas children under age three in urban areas have rates of developmental delays around 15% [27], a systematic review of child development before age three among rural populations across China found rates of cognitive delay (defined as one standard deviation below the mean of a healthy population) around 45% and rates of language delay around 46% [28]. Studies examining the source of those delays have found that a large fraction of rural caregivers do not regularly engage in interactive parent-child activities such as reading, telling stories and singing [29], which are known to stimulate early cognitive and language development [30][31][32][33][34]. ...
The home language environment is a critical point of investment in early language skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment of low-socioeconomic-status households in non-western settings. This mixed methods study describes the home language environment and early child language skills among households in a low-socioeconomic-status, peri-urban district of Chengdu, China, and identifies factors influencing parental investment in the home language environment. Audio recordings were collected from 81 peri-urban households with children ages 18–24 months and analysed using the Language Environment Analysis (LENATM) system. The Mandarin version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was administered to each child’s primary caregiver. The quantitative results revealed large variation in home language environments and child language skills among the sample, with relatively low average scores when compared to other Chinese samples. Qualitative interviews with a subset of 31 caregivers revealed that many caregivers face constraints on their knowledge of interactive parenting, compounded, in some households, by time constraints due to work or household responsibilities. The findings indicate a need for increased sources of credible parenting information for peri-urban caregivers of young children to promote investment in the home language environment.
... Interactive and scaffolded reading experience with young children develops an effective bond between children and parents (Bus et al., 1997), which in turn support their socio-emotional learning (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006) and vocabulary development . Shared reading with an adult promotes early language and literacy development (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Khurana & Rao, 2011;Niklas et al., 2016;Vrinda et al., 2022). Furthermore, it fosters children's emergent literacy skills, such as the concept of print, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and word recognition (Justice et al., 2010). ...
Electronic books are a part of the ever-expanding culture and assist children to become a member of a highly digitalized society. While e-books are similar to printed books, they have interactive elements, noises, and other engaging features. E-books are an effective means to engage and entertain young kids and foster the development of language and emergent literacy. Improving the shared reading experience using e-books requires deep comprehension and acceptance of e-books. Nevertheless, there needs to be more research available on shared reading using e-books among toddlers and preschoolers. The present study aimed to assess and analyze the attitude, belief, and practice of Speech-Language Pathologists toward e-books among toddlers and preschoolers with communication disorders. A self-administered online questionnaire with 20 questions was developed and sent to 118 practicing SLPs in India through e-mail and WhatsApp. The attitude and belief scores of most SLPs in the study population regarding e-books were positive, indicating their knowledge about using e-books to support language and literacy skills. However, no association was found between attitude and belief and the working experience or educational qualification of SLPs or their age range of caseload. Only a few SLPs (42.7%) reported using e-books in their intervention sessions. The limited usage of e-books by SLPs during the intervention may be attributed to two factors: firstly, their insufficient knowledge of e-books in general, and secondly, their lack of understanding of the advantages of integrating e-books with language scaffolding. Encouraging SLPs to select the appropriate ones and implementing shared reading would pave the way for many opportunities for an effective, shared reading experience.
... Similarly, frequency of book reading activities with 9-month-old infants were also found to significantly predict expressive vocabulary skills at 36 months (Leech et al., 2022). Karrass and Braungart-Rieker (2005) found that parental report of shared reading with infants at 8 months, but not 4 months, is associated with infants' expressive and receptive language abilities at 12 and 16 months. These benefits may begin within the first half year of life, with parental report of daily shared reading with infants at 6 months found to significantly predict better language, cognition, and socio-emotional competence at 12 months (O'Farrelly et al., 2018), and later rhyming abilities, verbal comprehension skills and concept formation (an aspect of cognitive competency) at age 5 years (Niklas et al., 2016). ...
This study examined verbal and non-verbal features of mother–infant shared book reading in Australia during the first year of life and explored the relationship between these features and infant cognition. Mother–infant dyads were observed in this cross-sectional study reading an unfamiliar book in a laboratory setting when infants were aged 6 months (n = 17), 9 months (n = 14), or 12 months (n = 17). High frequency maternal behaviours coded from video were the production of attention attracting behaviours, immediate talk, and verbal encouragement to maintain infant book engagement. Few significant relationships were found for infant problem-solving scores. Infant communication scores were however associated with non-immediate talk at 6 months, maternal questions at 9 months, and non-book related talk at 12 months. Shared book reading provides opportunities for verbal responsiveness and literacy engagement which likely serve as an important vehicle for facilitating early cognitive development.
... Studies on the effect of shared book reading on young children's language development are very limited. Karrass and Braungart-Rieker (2005) found that book sharing at 8 months (but not earlier) can be associated with later expressive language skills at 12 and 16 months. Sinclair (2019) and Towell et al. (2021) found that shared book reading, even at 6 months, contributes positively to later language development and kindergarten readiness. ...
ABSTRACT: Among the various parent-child interactions taking place in a typical family context, interactive shared book reading (ISBR) has been shown to have a superior value in fostering language development. Although many studies have established the linguistic benefits of ISBR in preschoolers, results on children younger than 3 years are scarce. This cross-sectional parental report study explores the contribution of the quantity and quality of shared book reading to the communicative and language skills of a large sample of infants and toddlers growing up in Greek-speaking families. The parents of 740 children aged 6 to 36 months filled in the Interactive Shared Book Reading Strategies Questionnaire that assesses the number and frequency of interactive strategies adopted by caregivers during shared book reading. Parents were also administered the Communication Development Report, a standardized instrument for assessing Greek-speaking children's communication and language skills. Results are presented on (a) shared book reading quantity (frequency) and quality (interactive strategies), (b) the effect of these two factors on children's nonverbal communication (nonvocal and vocal), as well as their language development (comprehension, expressive vocabulary, morphology, and syntax), and (c) the effect of several contextual factors on this association. Results highlight the large effect of both the quantity and the quality of shared book reading in different dimensions of the children's communication and language. Birth order, siblings, and maternal education affected the quantity (but not the quality) of shared book reading. Overall, results confirm and extend previous findings regarding the benefits of shared book reading to children's vocabulary, morphology and syntax, pointing to the significant contribution of its quality rather than its quantity. They also add interesting findings regarding the significant contribution of shared book reading to children's nonverbal communicative skills. Results are discussed based on previous relevant findings for their theoretical implications. Their applied interest in the early prevention of language difficulties is also discussed.
... Research has shown positive effects of book reading on a wide range of early language skills, including child's receptive and expressive language skills (e.g. Arterberry, et al., 2007;Demir-Lira, et al., 2019;Farrant & Zubrick, 2011;Fletcher & Reese, 2005;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Mol & Newman, 2014;Ninio, 1983;Payne, et al., 1994;Senechal & LeFevre, 2002) and subsequent literacy skills (e.g. Bus, et al., 1995;Deckner, et al., 2006;Dickinson & Tabors, 1991;Lonigan, et al., 2000;Scarborough, et al., 1991;Shahaeian et al., 2018). ...
Substantial literature suggests that reading to children is positively associated with language outcomes, but the causal pathways are less well understood. One possibility is that reading to children promotes language input that is particularly useful for some aspects of language learning. To better understand the language that is produced during picture book reading, we built a sharable corpus of caregiver-child interactions during book reading recorded in homes. Caregivers overwhelmingly read the book text. However, books varied in the language they generated, with some books promoting more conversational turns and extra-textual language, while others promoted more overall words, unique words, and longer utterances. Relative to other conversational contexts, books generally generated overall more words, more lexically diverse talk, and longer utterances. We see different profiles of language generated during book reading that are all plausibly linked with language skills. If a causal pathway exists between shared book reading and language outcomes, a sensible candidate may be that reading provides a varied range of linguistic experiences.
... Following the experimental design of previous studies on shared book reading (e.g. Cutler, 2020;Ho, 2006;Karrass and Braungart-Rieker, 2005), which adopted parents' self-reported questionnaires to quantify their SBR behaviours, we also did so to collect data on HLR in addition to parental SBR behaviours. A questionnaire was employed in this study not only because it can facilitate gathering information from a large population, thus resulting in great statistical power (Jones et al., 2013) but also because it can capture parental SBR behaviour that may not be readily detectable in only a single SBR session in observational studies. ...
The present study aimed to explore the specific components of home literacy resources (HLR) and parental behaviours during shared book reading (SBR) that may contribute to the language development of Chinese-speaking hearing-impaired children. A total of 90 Chinese-speaking hearing-impaired children aged 3 to 6 years, along with their parents, participated in this study. Following the design of previous studies, we required the parents to complete a questionnaire regarding HLR and parental SBR behaviours, and their hearing-impaired children received a standardised language test. The results showed that such HLR components as storybook capacity at home, weekly frequency of SBR, duration per SBR session, starting age of SBR, and the parental SBR behaviour, parent and child discussing opinions with each other, could significantly account for an additional portion of the variance in children's receptive, expressive, and overall language beyond the demographic variables. It is thus recommended that clinicians share this evidence-based information with parents who have hearing-impaired children to help their children develop language to their fullest potential.
... It is possible that parents perceive their children as displaying less enjoyment during SBR because the children demonstrate fewer responses to questions and offer less spontaneous ideas about the books. Similar to previous research findings regarding the relationship between parents' ease of reading to their child and language skills in young children with TH (Blewitt & Langan, 2016;Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2007;Trivette et al., 2010) and children with HL (DesJardin et al., 2017), ease of reading and child enjoyment were both positively related to children's language skills for the group of children with HL. Because this was a correlational study, we were not able to examine whether children's language skills predict child enjoyment during SBR activities. ...
Home literacy experiences and observed parent and child behaviors during shared book reading were investigated in preschool-age children with hearing loss and with typical hearing to examine the relationships between those factors and children’s language skills. The methods involved parent-reported home literacy experiences and videotaped parent–child dyads during shared book reading. Children’s language skills were tested using the Preschool Language Scale-4. The results indicated significant differences between groups for home literacy experiences and observed parent and child behaviors. Parents of children with hearing loss were found to read more frequently to their children than parents of children with typical hearing, yet scored lower for literacy strategies and teaching techniques compared to parents of children with typical hearing. Children with hearing loss scored lower in interactive reading behaviors compared to children with typical hearing. For children with hearing loss, frequency of book reading and child interactive reading behaviors were strong predictive factors for children’s language skills. These results suggest that families of children with hearing loss would benefit from professional support as they read storybooks to their children. Similarly, children with hearing loss should be encouraged to be more interactive during shared book reading.
... Although children under the age of two have typically shorter focused and joint attention spans, there are well-documented benefits of parents reading to infants. For example, infants who were read at 8 months had higher language scores at 12 and 16 months (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005). A good illustration of the bidirectionality of effects is Bojczyk et al., (2016) study that found that mothers' beliefs of how "ready" their child is to learn and benefit from SBR was directly linked to the SBR quality, which in turn mediated children's expressive vocabulary gains. ...
Parents’ attitudes are an important indicator of whether and how parents engage in shared book reading (SBR) at home. This study analysed Norwegian parents’ attitudes towards reading books with their children aged between 1–4.5 years. Thematic analysis of data from 24 interviews revealed two main themes in parents’ accounts: agency (the child’s independence, the adult’s control as well as their shared control during SBR) and embodiment (physical presence and intimate experience of a SBR session). Both themes correspond to parents’ preference for reading print rather than digital books with their children. Findings are discussed from the socio-material theoretical perspective, with attention to their practical and policy implications.
... Even a single reading of a book can promote new word-learning (Senechal & Cornell, 1993). Importantly, the age at which parents begin to book share with their children impacts later language development, with frequency of book sharing during the first year of life predicting later expressive vocabulary during the second year and beyond (Karrass & Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Richman & Colombo, 2007). Evidence also shows that the quantity and quality of early book sharing is positively related to activation in regions of the brain that support child language, emerging literacy, semantic processing, and social-emotional skills (Hutton et al., 2015). ...
Shared book reading is a well-established intervention for promoting child language and early development. Although most shared reading interventions have included children 3 years of age and older, recent evidence demonstrates dialogic strategies can be adapted for parents of infants and toddlers. The current study examines gains in parent book-sharing skills during a brief, structured intervention. Parent–child dyads participated in an 8-week book-sharing intervention, Ready, Set, Share A Book!, designed for 12- to 36-month-old children. Parent book-sharing skills were assessed at baseline, weekly during the intervention, and at intervention end. Parents demonstrated significant gains in book-sharing skills from baseline to end of intervention, and results also indicate immediate skill gains in response to instruction. Furthermore, improvement in book-sharing skills at end of intervention was evident within the same book. The current study extends previous evidence for the benefit of a brief, low intensity, targeted intervention to enhance parent book-sharing interactions with infants and toddlers. Future directions for research and implications for practice are discussed.
... For instance, infants' HLLE, as measured by parent-informed reports, has been associated with receptive vocabulary during infancy and has been shown to be prospectively associated with expressive vocabulary during toddlerhood (Schmitt et al. 2011). Parent-child shared book reading experience at 8 months also predicted subsequent expressive language abilities at 12 as well as 16 months (Karrass and Braungart-Rieker 2005). Similarly, receptive and expressive language outcomes at 18 months have been predicted by aspects of shared reading experience (e.g., time spent reading together, children's interest in reading, and maternal questions during shared reading) at 10 months (Muhinyi and Rowe 2019) and 14 months (Laakso et al. 1999). ...
The home language and literacy environment (HLLE) in infancy has been associated with subsequent pre-literacy skill development and HLLE at preschool-age has been shown to correlate with white matter organization in tracts that subserve pre-reading and reading skills. Furthermore, childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked with both HLLE and white matter organization. It is important to understand whether the relationships between environmental factors such as HLLE and SES and white matter organization can be detected as early as infancy, as this period is characterized by rapid brain development that may make white matter pathways particularly susceptible to these early experiences. Here, we hypothesized that HLLE (1) relates to white matter organization in pre-reading and reading-related tracts in infants, and (2) mediates a link between SES and white matter organization. To test these hypotheses, infants (mean age: 8.6 ± 2.3 months, N = 38) underwent diffusion-weighted imaging MRI during natural sleep. Image processing was performed with an infant-specific pipeline and fractional anisotropy (FA) was estimated from the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) bilaterally using the baby automated fiber quantification method. HLLE was measured with the Reading subscale of the StimQ (StimQ-Reading) and SES was measured with years of maternal education. Self-reported maternal reading ability was also quantified and applied to our statistical models as a proxy for confounding genetic effects. StimQ-Reading positively correlated with FA in left AF and to maternal education, but did not mediate the relationship between them. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of considering HLLE from the start of life and may inform novel prevention and intervention strategies to support developing infants during a period of heightened brain plasticity.
... Although most studies examined parent-child book reading in preschool years, shared book reading is an everyday parent-child activity in toddler years as well. The earlier parents engage in book reading with their children, the better their children's language skills are (Debaryshe, 1993;Karrass and Braungart-Rieker, 2005; see Fletcher and Reese, 2005 for a review). Parents' use of questions is an important indicator of highquality parent-child interactions (e.g., Ninio, 1980;Rowe et al., 2017). ...
This study examined the relation between characteristics of parental input, particularly focusing on questions and pointing gestures directed to toddlers during book reading, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous communicative interactions. A total of 30 Turkish speaking parents and their toddlers (18 girls, Mage = 18.79 SDage = 1.55) were observed during shared book reading. The communicative interactions were coded for parents' questions and pointing, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous speech and pointing. The results showed that parents' label questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited speech. Similarly, parents' label questions without pointing, and parents' description questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited pointing. These findings highlight the importance of parental questions accompanied by pointing when eliciting toddler communicative interactions both in the form of speech and pointing, and provides insight for how to best communicate with toddlers during such interactions.
... Studies have shown that reading book to children helps them to build a sense of story and develop vocabulary and comprehension (National Reading Panel [NRP], 2020). Furthermore, children's home literacy environment and early exposure to literacy activities were found to be highly correlated with emergent reading skills and language development (Strickland, 1989;Bus et al., 1995;Leseman and de Jong, 1998;Sénéchal and LeFevre, 2002;Karrass and Braungart-Rieker, 2005;Weigel et al., 2006;Sénéchal et al., 2008;Sukhram and Hsu, 2012). Despite not being the focus of the current study, we chose to include a short story-time session at the end of each online Reading Camp day to provide some literacy exposure during the camp. ...
Literacy is an essential skill. Learning to read is a requirement for becoming a self-providing human being. However, while spoken language is acquired naturally with exposure to language without explicit instruction, reading and writing need to be taught explicitly. Decades of research have shown that well-structured teaching of phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and letter-to-sound mapping is crucial in building solid foundations for the acquisition of reading. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children worldwide did not have access to consistent and structured teaching and are, as a consequence, predicted to be behind in the development of their reading skills. Subsequent evidence confirms this prediction. With the best evidence-based practice in mind, we developed an online version of a well-structured early literacy training program (Reading Camp) for 5-year-old children. This 2-week online Reading Camp program is designed for pre-K children. It incorporates critical components of the fundamental skills essential to learning to read and is taught online in an interactive, multi-sensory, and peer-learning environment. We measure the participants’ literacy skills and other related skills before and after participating in the online Reading Camp and compare the results to no-treatment controls. Results show that children who participated in the online Reading Camp improved significantly on all parameters in relation to controls. Our results demonstrate that a well-structured evidence-based reading instruction program, even if online and short-term, benefits 5-year-old children in learning to read. With the potential to scale up this online program, the evidence presented here, alongside previous evidence for the efficacy of the in-person program, indicates that the online Reading Camp program is effective and can be used to tackle a variety of questions regarding structural and functional plasticity in the early stages of reading acquisition.
... [16][17][18] These include enhanced attachment, more positive parenting and reading attitudes, and reduced stress. 6,[17][18][19][20] Potential mechanisms include emotional nurturing via affection and responsiveness, 21,22 reassuring reading routines, 23 and storysharing practices such as childdirected speech. 24 These are likely reinforced by reciprocal neurobiological signaling pathways involving oxytocin and dopamine (love and pleasure, respectively). ...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends literacy promotion as well as routine developmental surveillance during well-child visits to improve academic, relational, and health outcomes. In this study, we examined the possible association between shared reading and social-emotional problems among young children.
METHODS:
We conducted a retrospective review of longitudinal records for children aged 30 to 66 months presenting for visits to an academic pediatric primary care center between July 1, 2013, and February 1, 2019. The outcome was evidence of social-emotional problems, defined by an Ages and Stages: Social Emotional Questionnaire (ASQ:SE) score above the established cutoff. The predictor was caregiver-reported frequency of shared reading (most = 5–7 days per week, some = 2–4 days per week, rarely = 0–1 days per week) at a previous visit. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between the longitudinal outcome and predictor, adjusting for child demographics and needs reported on routine social history questionnaires.
RESULTS:
Analyses included 5693 children who completed at least 1 ASQ:SE (total of 7302 assessments) and had shared reading frequency documented before each ASQ:SE assessment. Children were predominantly Black (75%) and publicly insured (80%). Sixteen percent of ASQ:SE scores were suggestive of social-emotional concerns; 6% of caregivers reported sharing reading rarely. Children with rare shared reading had a higher risk of an ASQ:SE above cutoff compared with those with shared reading on most days (adjusted risk ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.35–1.92).
CONCLUSIONS:
Less-frequent caregiver-reported shared reading was associated with higher risk of social-emotional problems in young children presenting for primary care. This highlights potential relational and social-emotional benefits of shared reading.
The aim of this systematic review was to measure the strength of the relationship between home-based shared book reading and child development. We identified 46 studies ( N = 56,576) that provided quantitative data on the home literacy environment and developmental outcomes for groups of 10 or more children (maximum N = 10,533) who had a mean age of <4 years, and had not commenced compulsory, formal schooling. Most studies ( n = 28/46; 61%, N = 24,859) reported correlation coefficients, which were used to calculate mean effect sizes in a series of meta-analyses. The results estimated large and statistically significant relationships between home-based shared book reading and developmental outcomes [ r = 0.303, 95% CI = (0.258, 0.349)], language outcomes [ r = 0.381, 95% CI = (0.289, 0.474)], and vocabulary outcomes [ r = 0.314, 95% CI = (0.291, 0.336)]; as well as a moderate and significant relationship between frequency of home-based shared book reading and expressive vocabulary [ r = 0.259, 95% CI = (0.099, 0.419)]. These findings indicate that home-based shared book reading is positively related to various developmental outcomes, particularly spoken language skills.
The article addresses the issue of Home Literacy Environments as a possible area of interdisciplinary research exploration aimed at finding factors determining the language and reading skills of children and adolescents. The text discusses the directions of international research conducted in recent years, concerning, among others, the course of joint reading sessions (shared reading), recognizing the conditions of parents' involvement in dialogic reading and the relationships between early reading initiations and later school achievements, as well as the participation of parents, teachers and local government institutions in partnership for the development of students' language and reading skills. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the tools used in the implemented research projects, allowing for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of selected aspects of home literacy environments. Finally, an integral part of the text is the consideration of the directions of future research that could contribute to recognizing the importance of home reading environments for more complex reading skills such as critical reading.
Background
Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at a heightened risk for language and literacy delays and disorders. Despite the well-established empirical support for early shared reading, the available evidence to date has been scant, revealing mixed results. This study sought to characterize current research on shared reading in the NICU using a scoping review methodology.
Methods
Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, written in the English language, focused on human infants in the NICU, and published between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2023. No population age range was applied, and quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs were considered. Database searches yielded 338 articles with only eight articles meeting eligibility criteria for inclusion.
Conclusion
In spite of a modest number of studies on this topic, utilizing limited methodologies, the evidence from this scoping review shows the benefits of shared reading for infants and their caregivers during their NICU stay. Expanding such efforts by embedding shared reading as part of standard practice is recommended.
This study investigated relationships among home reading practices, shared book reading (SBR) behaviors, and child literacy outcomes in young children with cochlear implants in Baltimore, Maryland. Parents ( N=18) completed a home reading questionnaire and recorded themselves reading books with their children at home. Shared book reading sessions were coded for interactive reading behaviors. Children’s early language skills and literacy skills were also assessed. We explored variability in these behaviors with regard to demographic characteristics and type of book; these exploratory analyses revealed that parents used more literacy teaching techniques when reading the wordless picture book and that parent interaction and engagement and literacy teaching techniques were more frequent with younger children than with older children. While many families frequently used interactive reading behaviors, our analysis did not find significant relationships between the parent behaviors and children’s literacy scores. However, there was an interaction between the amount of reading and cochlear implant experience such that more cochlear implant experience was associated with better reading outcomes only for the group of children who received more reading time. In a sample of young children with cochlear implants, reading time, cochlear implant experience, and child language skills were better predictors of reading outcomes than parents’ frequency of SBR behaviors alone.
Early literacy promotion in pediatric primary care supports parents and caregivers reading with their children from birth, offering counseling in interactive, developmentally appropriate strategies and providing developmentally and culturally appropriate and appealing children’s books. This technical report reviews the evidence that reading with young children supports language, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Promoting early literacy in pediatric primary care offers a strengths-based strategy to support families in creating positive childhood experiences, which strengthen early relational health. An increasing body of evidence, reviewed in this report, shows that clinic-based literacy promotion, provided with fidelity to an evidence-based model, has benefits for children, for parents and caregivers, and for pediatric physicians and advanced care providers as well. Reading with young children supports early brain development and the neural “reading network,” and improves school readiness. High-quality literacy promotion is especially essential for children who face disparities and inequities because of social factors, systemic racism, and socioeconomic risk. All families benefit from high-quality and diverse books and from developmentally appropriate guidance supporting interactions around books and stories. Thus, literacy promotion can be a universal primary prevention strategy to strengthen families and support healthy development. Partnerships at community, local, and state levels offer opportunities for integration with other programs, services, and platforms. Literacy promotion in primary care pediatric practice, recognized by the AAP as an essential component since 2014, has become increasingly common. There are successful models for public funding at federal, state, county, and municipal levels, but sustainable funding, including payment to pediatric physicians and advanced care providers, remains a need so that the benefits of pediatric early literacy promotion and the joys of books and shared reading can truly be offered on a population level.
The benefits of book gifting schemes for infants, parents and families, are well documented. While book gifting schemes operate around the world, and are delivered in different ways (e.g., postal services, local libraries, maternity hospitals and community centres), little is known about the benefits and challenges for those involved in delivering the schemes. This mixed methods study, based on a book gifting scheme in Ireland, reports findings from public health nurses (PHNs) regarding their involvement in an infant book gifting scheme. PHNs incorporated the delivery of an infant book gifting pack, and information leaflets about reading with infants, into their regular infant developmental health checks at 3 months and at 7-9 months. The findings from over 300 developmental checks indicate that participating PHNs were positive overall regarding their involvement in the scheme. Despite their heavy workload, in general, PHNs reported they had sufficient time available during the health checks to incorporate the book gifting. They highlighted the benefit of the scheme for parents and infants but also for PHNs themselves and their professional practice. The present paper discusses the findings in the context of ecological systems theory, notably, the role of the PHN in supporting infants and parents, and considers the implications of the findings for the delivery of infant book gifting schemes.
Context: Numerous studies highlight the protective power of early parent-child interactions on language acquisition. In everyday life, shared book reading gives parents the greatest number of opportunities to support their child’s language development. However, despite existing recommendations on early literacy habits, many families are not familiar with children’s books. Because of their involvement in prevention, detection and intervention in case of language disorders, speech therapists are key to supporting parents with children's early literacy habits. Objective: In this study, we establish a picture of speech therapists’ knowledge of the use of children’s books to promote early childhood literacy in early language intervention. Methods: Speech therapists, working in France and taking care of children under 3 years old with language difficulties, completed a questionnaire assessing their sense of competency and their use of children’s books in session. Results: 173 speech therapists completed our questionnaire. The results show differences between the strategies used by speech therapists and the ones recommended in the literature. Conclusion: It reveals the necessity to help improve practices concerning children’s books in early intervention. In practice, it can help speech therapists support parents more efficiently in the shared reading habits.
The text of picture books is a fertile source through which young children learn about mental states. By focusing on English and Japanese books ( N = 100; for children aged 3–5 years) as respective representatives of independent and interdependent cultures, the present study examined the cultural differences in the use of two types of mental state language: emotion and cognition. While our findings revealed no cultural differences in emotional word tokens or types, cognitive word tokens and types were higher in English picture books than in Japanese ones. Importantly, English picture books exhibited more self‐oriented mental state references, while Japanese picture books had more other‐oriented mental state references. Our study suggests that mental state references in picture books reflect culture‐specific characteristics.
Purpose: Shared book reading is nowadays considered as an important early language stimulation technique in the field of speech language pathology which encourages parent-child bonding and creates a conducive environment for language development. The parent-child interaction is important for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This interaction along with adequate and contingent parental responses fosters early language development in children. Language-related parent behaviors promote children’s oral language skills by not only exposing the child to book-related vocabulary (e.g., labeling pictures, explaining word meanings, and linking words to everyday events), but also through explicit teaching of meaning-related skills related to the overall structure of the story (i.e., story grammar). Print-related SBR behaviors draw the child’s attention to print-related features of the book, for example, letter names and sounds.Methods: To better understand the relationship between children’s visual attention, verbal engagement and parent shared book reading behaviors during shared book reading tasks, this study included 10 preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum and their parents sharing an unfamiliar storybook including which are scripted and unscripted. Videos of the shared book reading interactions were transcribed and coded for visual attention, verbal engagement and parent behaviors using observational coding schemes. The frequency of visual attention, verbal engagement and parental SBR behaviors were compared between the scripted and unscripted story books using statistical tests-Wilcoxon signed rank test and Fisher’s Exact test.Results: Result reveals that there was no statistically significant difference between frequency of visual attention during unscripted story books and scripted books. Parental behaviors parameters pertaining to shared book reading were analyzed and found a significant difference in usage of book language is greater for scripted story books compared to unscripted books.Conclusions: The key findings shows the type of book (scripted or unscripted) have a significant impact and its contribution to the intervention of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Parental SBR behaviors can in turn contribute to the development of childhood language and preliteracy skills.
New Zealand research on inequities in children’s developmental health outcomes is sparse. We aimed to describe the prevalence, clustering, and socio-environmental associations of developmental health in preschool-aged children. A latent profile analysis was performed using data from child participants of Growing Up in New Zealand at age 4.5-years to identify profiles of developmental health status. Seven measures were included in the latent profile analysis, representing four domains of developmental health: ‘physical’, ‘motor’, ‘socioemotional and behavioural’, and ‘communication and learning’. Multinominal logistic regression was used to investigate socio-environmental associations of latent profile membership. Six latent profiles were identified (N = 6109), including three healthy/flourishing profiles: ‘healthy’ (52.6% of the sample), ‘early social skills flourishing’ (14.5%), and ‘early learning skills flourishing’ (4.0%); and three suboptimal profiles: ‘early learning skills difficulties’ (19.5%), ‘physical health difficulties’ (5.6%), and ‘developmental difficulties cluster’ (3.7%). Children experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, of Māori or Pacific ethnicity, and with unmet healthcare needs had increased odds of being classified to suboptimal developmental health profiles. In this large, diverse cohort, one-in-four children were classified as having suboptimal developmental health. Addressing inequities in developmental health is crucial to improving health over the life course.
W artykule dokonano przeglądu badań empirycznych dotyczących czynników determinujących rodzicielskie strategie rozwijania umiejętności językowych i kształtowania gotowości do czytania i pisania dzieci ze specjalnymi potrzebami rozwojowymi w okresie wczesnego i średniego dzieciństwa. Szczególną uwagę zwrócono na zróżnicowane praktyki rodziców w zakresie organizowania i przebiegu wczesnych inicjacji czytelniczych, podejmowanych w środowisku domowym. Przeprowadzona analiza prac empirycznych pozwoliła na wskazanie obszarów dociekań naukowych w prowadzonych współcześnie projektach badawczych oraz na zarysowanie możliwych kierunków przyszłych badań z zakresu omawianej problematyki.
Background and aims
The efficacy of parent–child reading for supporting language development has been well-established in the neurotypical (NT) literature. For children with autism spectrum disorder, (ASD) who may be at risk for delays in language development, prior research has shown promise for shared book-reading interventions. Yet there has been limited research on naturalistic parent–child reading with autistic children to date. The present study aimed to fill this missing link in the current literature.
Methods
Fifty-seven autistic toddlers participated at two developmental time points: Time 1 ( Mage = 30.4 months) and Time 2 ( Mage = 43.8 months). An NT control group ( N = 31) was matched on age to a subset of the ASD group ( N = 33). We assessed group differences in parent–child reading frequency between age-matched NT and autistic groups. Using a one-year follow-up design, we evaluated the relationship between parent–child reading and autistic children’s language development.
Results
Cross-group comparisons revealed that parents of age-matched NT children reported significantly more frequent weekly parent–child reading than parents of autistic toddlers. After a one-year follow-up with the autistic group, within-group analyses revealed that greater frequency of parent–child reading (controlling for maternal education, books in the home, and autism symptom severity) was associated with larger growth in autistic toddlers’ receptive and expressive language skills.
Conclusions and implications
These findings have important clinical implications as they emphasize the potential of parent–child reading for supporting autistic children’s language development. Findings demonstrate that frequency of parent–child reading is associated with language development over one year. Findings also demonstrate that parents of autistic children engage in less frequent parent–child reading than parents of age-matched NT peers, suggesting these parents may face more barriers to implementing parent–child reading than parents of NT children.
Background:
The AAP recommends "shared" reading from early infancy for healthy development. However, many families are uncertain how to read most enjoyably and effectively with infants, especially from underserved backgrounds. Shared reading quality (interactivity) moderates benefits yet is challenging to measure. SHARE/STEP is a new model of shared reading quality at this age incorporating evidence-based behaviors.
Objective:
To test the SharePR parent-report measure of caregiver-infant reading quality.
Methods:
This study involved mother-infant dyads in two unrelated trials in an obstetric (0-2 months old) and pediatric (6-9 months old) clinic. SharePR is a 10-item measure based on the SHARE/STEP model. Analyses involved descriptive statistics, measures of psychometric integrity, and correlations with home literacy environment (HLE).
Results:
There were 99 dyads in the younger (1.2 + 0.5 months) and 108 dyads in the older groups (6.6 + 1.1 months). A majority were of non-white race (73%, 96%) and low-socioeconomic status (56%, 44% in-poverty). SharePR administration time was under 2 min and scores were normally distributed at each age. Psychometric properties were strong in terms of internal consistency and reliability. Scores were positively correlated with HLE for the older group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
SharePR may be an efficient tool to quantify shared reading quality with infants, warranting further investigation.
Clinical trials:
Data for these analyses were collected via two unrelated trials led by the lead author (J.S.H.). For the younger cohort, this is registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov website, ID# NCT04031235. For the older cohort, this is registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov website, ID# 2017-6856.
Impact:
The AAP recommends caregiver-child ("shared") reading beginning in infancy, yet many families are uncertain how to do so. Verbal and social-emotional interactivity during shared reading ("quality") moderates benefits and is often low in families from disadvantaged backgrounds, yet is challenging to measure. SharePR is a 10-item parent-report measure of shared reading quality based on a novel conceptual model incorporating evidence-based behaviors (SHARE/STEP). SharePR exhibited promising psychometric properties in two separate samples of mothers of younger and older infants. SharePR is a potentially useful measure of shared reading quality at this formative age, for research and to frame early reading guidance.
Back Cover: An important contribution to the scholarship on student writing and composition theory, this book presents a new approach to writing instruction based on linguistics research and theory. In this book, leading scholar James D. Williams explores the historical failures of composition studies and the need for effective instruction to be grounded in the immersive principles of language acquisition
Starting with an inditement of the historical failures of composition studies to teach students how to become competent writers, the book moves beyond the current flawed theories and practices to introduce a new way forward to improving students' writing skills. Accessible and jargon-free, Williams skillfully explains how students must be immersed in target dialects and registers, with access to a range of authentic texts, to become effective writers of academic discourse. Chapters include authentic writing samples from the disciplines, including life and applied sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Essential for pre-service and practicing teachers of writing as well as scholars in composition and literacy studies, the book demonstrates how language acquisition is a valid foundation and provides a roadmap to improving students' writing proficiency.
Using a three-wave longitudinal survey conducted in 815 households in rural Western China, this study aims to examine the association between parental self-perception and early childhood development and the mediation effect of parental investment on the association between parental self-perception and child development when the sample children are at different ages in the early childhood (18–30, 22–36, and 49–65 months). The results demonstrate that parental self-perception are positively and significantly associated with child social-emotional development in all three ages of childhood (from 18 to 65 months). Positive and significant association between parental self-perception and child cognitive development is found in the ages from 22 to 65 months. In addition, findings of this study show that parental investment plays a mediating role in the association between parental self-perception and child cognitive development. The study calls on policymakers to help to strengthen parental self-perception and parental investment related to early childhood development, which should result in better child development in rural China.
Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, 60-72 aylık çocukların erken okuryazarlık beceri düzeyinin SED, ev okuryazarlık uygulamaları, öğretmen okuryazarlık bilgi düzeyi ve sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamaları açısından incelenmesidir. Araştırmaya, devlet okulları bünyesinde bulunan anasınıflarında eğitim öğretimine devam eden ve tanılı herhangi bir yetersizliği olmayan 60-72 ay yaş aralığındaki 235 çocuk dâhil edilmiştir. Araştırmaya dâhil edilen çocukların erken okuryazarlık beceri düzeylerine ilişkin bilgiler ‘Erken Okuryazarlık Testi (EROT)’, ailelerin sosyo ekonomik düzeylerine ilişkin bilgiler ‘Aile Bilgi Formu’, ev okuryazarlık uygulamalarına ilişkin bilgiler araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen ‘Ev Okuryazarlık Uygulamaları Ölçeği (EVOKU)’, okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin erken okuryazarlık bilgi düzeyi ve sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamalarına ilişkin bilgiler ‘Öğretmen Görüşme Formu’ ile elde edilmiştir.
Çocukların öncelikle EROT alt testlerinden elde ettikleri puanların SED’e ve yaşa göre dağılımları belirlenmiştir. Dağılımların belirlenmesinin ardından EROT alt testlerinden elde edilen puanların SED’e ve sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamalarına göre farklılık gösterip göstermediğimi belirlemek için Kruskall Wallis- H testi, ev okuryazarlık uygulamalarına ve öğretmen bilgi düzeyine göre farklılık gösterip göstermediğini belirlemek için Mann Whitney-U testi kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara bakıldığında çocukların alıcı dilde sözcük bilgisi, ifade edici dilde sözcük bilgisi ve sesbilgisel farkındalık becerileri alt testlerinden elde ettikleri puanların SED’e göre anlamlı farklılık gösterdiği görülmüştür. Anlamlı farklılığın ise üst SED’den gelen çocuklar ile alt SED’den gelen çocuklar arasında ve üst SED’den gelen çocukların lehine, orta SED’den gelen çocuklar ile alt SED’den gelen çocuklar arasında ve orta SED’den gelen çocukların lehine olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Ev okuryazarlık uygulamalarının, çocukların alıcı dilde sözcük bilgisi, ifade edici dilde sözcük bilgisi, sesbilgisel farkındalık ve dinlediğini anlama alt testlerinden elde ettikleri puanlar üzerinde anlamlı farklılıklar yarattığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Anlamlı farklığın ise erken okuryazarlık becerileri açısından risk grubunda olmayan çocukların lehine olduğu görülmüştür. Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin sahip olduğu erken okuryazarlık bilgi düzeyinin, çocukların EROT alt testlerinden elde ettikleri puanlar üzerinde anlamlı farklılık yaratmadığı görülmüştür. Son olarak sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamalarının, çocukların alıcı ve ifade edici dilde sözcük bilgisi alt testlerinden elde ettikleri puanlar üzerinde anlamlı farklılık yarattığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Anlamlı farklılığın ise iyi uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfında bulunan çocuklar ile zayıf uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfında bulunan çocuklar arasında ve iyi uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfındaki çocukların lehine, orta düzey uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfında bulunan çocuklar ile zayıf uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfında bulunan çocuklar arasında ve orta düzey uygulamacı olan öğretmenlerin sınıfındaki çocukların lehine olduğu görülmüştür.
Elde edilen bulgular alanyazın temelinde tartışılmış ve hem SED’in hem ev okuryazarlık uygulamalarının hem de sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamalarının erken okuryazarlık becerileri için önemli değişkenler olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, çocuğun erken okuryazarlık bilgi ve becerilerinin gelişimi üzerinde etkili olduğu belirlenen tüm değişkenler bütüncül bir bakış açısıyla ele alınmış ve çocuğun içinde bulunduğu SED’in, ev okuryazarlık ve sınıf içi okuryazarlık uygulamalarının niteliğinin ve niceliğinin çocukların erken okuryazarlık bilgi ve becerilerinin gelişimini destekleyen önemli değişkenler olduğu görülmüştür.
This study examined the degree to which parental contextual factors and infant characteristics predicted whether parents read aloud to their 8-month-old infants. Discriminant function analysis revealed that mothers with higher family incomes and those who reported less parenting stress and fewer general hassles were more likely to read to their infants. Gender and temperament of the infant did not significantly predict whether mothers would engage in shared reading. Furthermore, there was no evidence that mothers who reported reading aloud to their infants display more enriching parenting practices in the laboratory. Paternal contextual factors did not discriminate readers from nonreaders, but infant temperament did. Fathers who read aloud had infants who were less soothable and who displayed longer durations of orienting. The possibility that book reading could serve as 1 mediator of the temperament-cognition relationship is discussed.
THIS STUDY explores the usefulness of the attachment relationship between children and parents for explaining differences in parent-preschooler reading in high- and low-socioeconomic-status families. On the basis of a questionnaire completed by about 350 mothers of 3-year-olds, three matched groups were composed: infrequently reading dyads, low SES (n = 15); frequently reading dyads, low SES (n = 15); and frequently reading dyads, high SES (n = 15). The children's behavior during a reunion after being separated from their mothers for about 30 minutes was scored on a rating scale for attachment security. Mothers and children were then observed while reading. The study supports the hypothesis that less secure dyads read less frequently. The groups also differed in the way parents shaped interactive reading: In the frequently reading group there was less communication about the book, whereas in the infrequently reading group more irrelevant interactions (such as disciplining) occurred. The frequently reading groups from low and high SES differed only in number of inferences. A developmental model of interactive reading is proposed, and it is concluded that programs must create a safe base from which children can explore literacy.
ABSTRACTS
We examined whether storybook exposure and the amount of teaching in reading and writing skills reported by middle class parents were related to the oral‐language skills (receptive vocabulary, listening comprehension, and phoneme awareness) and the written‐language skills (concepts about book reading, alphabet knowledge, reading CVC words, and invented spelling) of children in kindergarten ( n = 110) and Grade 1 ( n = 47). Hierarchical regression analyses that controlled for parents' print exposure and children's age and analytic intelligence showed that storybook exposure explained statistically significant unique variance in children's oral‐language skills but not in their written‐language skills. In contrast, parent teaching explained statistically significant unique variance in children's written‐language skills but not in their oral‐language skills. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that storybook exposure may enhance children's oral‐language skills whereas additional support in the form of teaching may be necessary to enhance written‐language skills. At the end of Grade 1, children's oral and written language performance accounted for 20% of the variance in word reading, but storybook exposure and parent teaching did not account for additional statistically significant unique variance. These findings suggest that the association between early home literacy experiences and later reading skills may be mediated through children's oral‐ and written‐language skills.
EXAMINAMOS SI la exposición a libros de cuentos y la cantidad de experiencias de enseñanza de habilidades de lectura y escritura, obtenidas a partir de los informes de padres de clase media, estaban relacionadas con las habilidades de lenguaje oral (vocabulario receptivo, comprensión oral y concienca fonológica) y con las habilidades de lenguaje escrito (conceptos sobre la lectura de libros, conocimiento del alfabeto, lectura de palabras CVC y escrituras inventadas). Participaron del estudio niños de preescolar ( n = 110) y 1er. Grado ( n = 47). Los análisis de regresión jerárquica, controlando la exposisción a la lengua escrita de los padres y, la edad de los niños y la inteligencia analítica, mostraron que la exposición a libros de cuentos explicó una proporción única estadísticamente significativa de la variancia en las habilidades de lenguaje oral pero no en las habilidades de lenguaje escrito. Por el contrario, la enseñanza de los padres explicó una proporción única estadísticamente significativa de la variancia en las habilidades de lenguaje escrito pero no en las habilidades de lenguaje oral. Estos hallazgos son consistentes con la hipótesis de que la exposición a libros de cuentos puede mejorar las habilidades de lenguaje oral de los niños, en tanto que puede ser necesario un apoyo adicional en la forma de enseñar para mejorar las habilidades de lenguaje escrito. A fines de 1er. Grado, el desempeño oral y escrito de los niños dió cuenta del 20% de la variancia en lectura de palabras, pero la exposición a libros de cuentos y la enseñanza de los padres no explicó una proporción adicional estadísticamente significativa de la variancia. Estos hallazgos sugieren que la asociación entre las experiencias de alfabetización tempranas en el hogar y las habilidades de lectura posteriores pueden estar mediadas por las habilidades de lenguaje oral y escrito de los niños.
UNTERSUCHTEN, ob der Einfluß von Geschichten und die Unterrichtsanzahl beim Vermitteln von Lese‐ und Schreibfertigkeiten, wie von Eltern der Mittelschicht berichtet, in einer Beziehung mit den mündlichen Sprachfertigkeiten (rezeptiver Wortschatz, Hörverständnis und phonemische Aufnahmefähigkeit) standen, und verglichen sprachliche Schreibfertigkeiten (Konzepte zum Buchlesen, Kenntnis des Alphabets, Lesen von CVC [Consonant‐Vowel‐Consonant bzw. Konsonant‐Vokal‐Konsonant] Worten und ersonnenes Buchstabieren) von Kindern im Kindergarten ( n = 110) und in der 1. Klasse ( n = 47). Hierarchische Regressionsanalysen zur kontrollierten Bemessung des elterlichen Aufwands an Druckmaterial, dem Alter der Kinder und deren analytischer Intelligenz zeigten, daß der Bucheinfluß von Geschichten statistisch eine deutliche, ausgeprägte Abweichung bei der Bemessung der mündlichen Sprachfähigkeiten bei diesen Kindern aufweist, jedoch nicht bei deren Schreibfähigkeiten. Im Widerspruch dazu ergab elterlicher Unterricht statistisch wesentliche Abweichungen bei den Schreibfertigkeiten der Kinder, jedoch nicht bei deren mündlichen Sprachfähigkeiten. Diese Erkenntnisse befinden sich im Einklang mit der Hypothese, daß das Anbieten bzw. Lesen von Geschichten aus Büchern mündliche Sprachfertigkeiten steigern kann, wobei zusätzliche Unterstützung in Form von Unterricht nötig werden könnte, um schriftliche Sprachfähigkeiten zu fördern. Mit Abschluß der 1. Klasse betrug die Veränderung in der mündlichen und schriftlichen Sprachleistung 20% beim Lesen von Worten, jedoch konnte die Heranführung an Geschichten aus Büchern und der elterliche Unterricht statistisch nicht mehr als besonders herausragende Abweichung nachgewiesen werden. Diese Befunde lassen vermuten, daß die Verbindung zwischen frühzeitigen Sprachausbildungserfahrungen zu Hause und späteren Leseleistungen durch erworbene mündliche und schriftliche Sprachfertigkeiten der Kinder vermittelt wird.
NOUS AVONS examiné si l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse et la place faite à l'enseignement de la lecture et de l'écriture, tels que rapportés par des parents de classe moyenne, sont liés aux compétences en langue parlée (vocabulaire passif, compréhension du discours, et conscience phonémique) et écrite (représentation de la lecture de livres, connaissance de l'alphabet, lecture de mots CVC, et écriture inventée) chez des enfants de maternelle ( n =110) et de première année ( n = 47). Des analyses de régression hiérarchique contrôlant l'exposition à l'écrit par les parents, l'âge de l'enfant et l'intelligence analytique ont montré que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse rend compte d'une variation statistiquement significative des compétences en langue parlée des enfants, mais pas de leurs compétences en langue écrite. Par contre, l'enseignement effectué par les parents rend compte d'une variation statistiquement significative des compétences en langue écrite des enfants, mais non de leurs compétences en langue parlée. Ces résultats sont en harmonie avec l'hypothèse que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse permet d'améliorer les compétences des enfants en langue parlée, tandis qu'un apport supplémentaire sous forme d'enseignement peut s'avérer nécessaire pour améliorer leurs compétences en langue écrite. En fin de première année, la connaissance qu'ont les enfants du langage oral et écrit rend compte de 20% de la variance en lecture de livres, alors que l'exposition à la lecture de livres de jeunesse et l'enseignement effectué par les parents n'apportent pas de contribution supplémentaire à la variance. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'il est possible que l'association entre les expériences initiales de lecture‐écriture à la maison et les compétences ultérieures en lecture‐écriture soient médiatisées par les compétences des enfants en langue orale et écrite.
This study investigated vocabulary acquisition in the context of joint picture-book reading in mother-infant dyads belonging to 2 social classes. 20 middle-class and 20 lower-class dyads were observed, the infants ranging in age between 17 and 22 months. In both groups interaction focused on the eliciting or the provision of labeling information. The most frequent formats consisted of cycles headed by "What's that?" questions, by "Where is X?" questions, and by labeling statements emitted by the mother. Cluster analysis revealed that these formats and other measures of input language fell into 3 groups, each apparently representing a different dyadic interaction style. In the high-SES group, each style was associated with the size of a different vocabulary in the infant: productive, comprehension, and imitative vocabularies. In the low-SES group, the proportion of maternal "what" questions was correlated with the infant's level, whereas "where" questions and labeling statements were not adjusted to the infant's level. Low-SES mothers talked less and provided less varied labels for actions and attributes. They asked less "what" questions and more "where" questions. High-SES infants had a bigger productive vocabulary, and low-SES infants had a bigger imitative vocabulary. The rate of development was slower in the low-SES group, as evidenced by lower correlations with the age of the infant.
Shared book reading provides a rich source of linguistic stimulation for young children. The authors examined whether variations in knowledge of storybooks (assumed to index factors such as frequency of shared reading) were related to vocabulary scores for 3–6 yr olds. In Exp 1, parents' knowledge of storybooks explained unique variance in children's receptive vocabulary scores after controlling for children's analytic intelligence, parents' exposure to adult reading material, and parents' education. In Exp 2, children's knowledge of storybooks explained unique variance in their receptive and expressive vocabulary scores after controlling for parents' exposure to print and socioeconomic status level. Children's knowledge of storybooks indexed cognitive factors as well as exposure. The findings obtained in the 2 experiments suggest that storybook experiences during the preschool years may be an important influence on the development of children's language skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Investigated serial effects in recurrent ostensive definitions of words in the context of joint picture-book reading by 20 mother–infant (aged 17–22 mo) dyads. Content analysis revealed a number of labeling formats, among them simple labeling by the mother or by the infant, elicitation of labeling by "what" questions, elicitation of pointing by "where" questions, and elicited and spontaneous imitation by the infant. The dyads applied a mixture of labeling formats to the same referent on its successive occurrences. Imitation was more likely following previous error in labeling than were correct labeling and pointing by the infant. Mothers tended to follow errors and no responses with simple labeling of the same referent on its next appearance, whereas they followed correct responses with attempts to elicit labeling or pointing from the infant. Results imply that imitation, comprehension, and productive responses to words by vocabulary-learning infants do not represent different levels of word knowledge and that the respective vocabularies are overlapping at a given point in time. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Sex differences in the association between environmental risk and language development were examined in a longitudinal study of 54 high-social-risk families. Measures of the environment included information about family stress and coping, opportunities for cognitive and linguistic stimulation, the nature of learning experiences, and the affective quality of the infant–mother relationship. Despite apparently similar family conditions and early experiences, there were significant sex differences favoring girls on observational measures of spontaneous language production at 20 and 30 mo of age. For the group as a whole, sex differences on standardized tests at 24 and 36 mo of age were nonsignificant. In addition, relations between aspects of the learning environment and children's language performance differed for boys and girls, supporting a moderator interpretation of the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The achievement of labelling was investigated in a longitudinal study of one mother–infant dyad, using video-recordings of their free play in a period between 0; 8 and 1; 6. Analysis of joint picture-book reading revealed that this activity had very early on the structure of a dialogue. The child's lexical labels might be regarded as more adult-like substitutes for earlier communicative forms that he had utilized in the dialogue. These were smiling, reaching, pointing and babbling vocalizations, all of which were consistently interpreted by the mother as expressing the child's intention of requesting a label or providing one. Participating in a ritualized dialogue, rather than imitation, was found to be the major mechanism through which labelling was achieved.
The current review is a quantitative meta-analysis ofthe available empirical evidence related to parent-preschooler reading and several outcome mea- sures. In selecting the studies to be included in this meta-analysis, we focused on studies examining thefrequency ofbook reading to preschoolers. The results support the hypothesis that parent-preschooler reading is related to outcome measures such äs language growth, emergent literacy, and reading achievement. The overall effect size ofd = .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, ajfects acqui- sition of the written language register. The effect of parent-presch ooler 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 äs soon äs children become conventional readers and are able to read on their own.
Parent–child play behavior of 33 preschool children (18 boys, 29 European-American, middle- and upper-middle-class families) was videotaped in separate pretend and physical play sessions. Children's play behavior with a same-sex peer also was observed. Analyses focus on contextual differences in parent–child play behavior, as well as associations between parent–child play and child–peer play. During the pretense play session parent–daughter dyads, particularly mother–daughter dyads, engaged in more pretense play than did parent–son dyads. During the physical play session father–son dyads engaged in more physical play than did father–daughter dyads. These data suggest that context may play an important role in gender differentiated patterns of parent–child play behavior. As for children's peer play behavior, consistent with previous evidence, girls were more likely than boys to engage peers in pretend play and boys were more likely than girls to play physically with peers. Children whose parents engaged in more pretense play engaged in more pretense play with a peer, whereas children's whose parents engaged in more physical play engaged in more physical play with a peer. These findings suggest that parents may contribute to children's gender-typed play behaviors with peers.
The relationships between parents' age, education, literacy activities and shared reading with the child and children's language skills and early interest in books were examined in a longitudinal study of 108 children. Parents reported on their children's lexical and grammatical development by using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (the CDIs) at the ages of 14 and 24 months. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to the children in a laboratory setting at 24 months. Information on parental background variables was obtained through a questionnaire before the children's birth. Book reading habits were inquired when the children were 2 years of age. Mothers' education, literacy activities and shared reading with the child were shown to be more strongly associated with the 2-year-olds' lexical and grammatical skills than were those of fathers. A corresponding association to parental background variables emerged regardless of whether parental report data or scores on the structured test were employed as the child language measure Shared reading with the father was found to be linked to children's early interest in books. The children who exhibited greater interest in books were likely to be read to by mothers and fathers more frequently than other children. These children also had larger vocabularies than did children with low interest in books. The role of endogenous and exogenous variables in explaining children's language skills and early book reading interest are discussed.
Twenty toddlers with expressive specific language impairment (SLI-E) and 20 toddlers with normal language development were compared in their symbolic play development. The groups did not differ in amount of engagement with the toys or in functional conventional play behaviors. However, the children with SLI-E displayed less decentered play (use of play schemes with a doll or another person), less well-developed sequential play, and fewer occurrences of symbolic play transformations (use of a neutral object or an absent object to carry out pretending). The provision of structure in the form of thematically related toy sets, instructions, and modeling did not reduce the discrepancy between demonstrated play behaviors of toddlers with SLI-E and their normally developing peers. Three possible explanations for this discrepancy are considered: a "stylistic" difference in play, a developmental lag in symbol use, or a deficit in retrieval of stored symbolic representation.
A series of four experiments examined infants' capacities to detect repeated words in fluent speech. In Experiment 1, 7 1/2-month old American infants were familiarized with two different monosyllabic words and subsequently were presented with passages which either included or did not include the familiar target words embedded in sentences. The infants listened significantly longer to the passages containing the familiar target words than to passages containing unfamiliar words. A comparable experiment with 6-month-olds provided no indication that infants at this age detected the target words in the passages. In Experiment 3, a group of 7 1/2-month-olds was familiarized with two different non-word targets which differed in their initial phonetic segment by only one or two phonetic features from words presented in two of the passages. These infants showed no tendency to listen significantly longer to the passages with the similar sounding words, suggesting that the infants may be matching rather detailed information about the items in the familiarization period to words in the test passages. Finally, Experiment 4 demonstrated that even when the 7 1/2-month-olds were initially familiarized with target words in sentential contexts rather than in isolation, they still showed reliable evidence of recognizing these words during the test phase. Taken together, the results of these studies suggest that some ability to detect words in fluent speech contexts is present by 7 1/2 months of age.
Infants' representations of the sound patterns of words were explored by examining the effects of talker variability on the recognition of words in fluent speech. Infants were familiarized with isolated words (e.g., cup and dog) from 1 talker and then heard 4 passages produced by another talker, 2 of which included the familiarized words. At 7.5 months of age, infants attended longer to passages with the familiar words for materials produced by 2 female talkers or 2 male talkers but not for materials by a male and a female talker. These findings suggest a strong role for talker-voice similarity in infants' ability to generalize word tokens. By 10.5 months, infants could generalize different instances of the same word across talkers of the opposite sex. One implication of the present results is that infants' initial representations of the sound structure of words not only include phonetic information but also indexical properties relating to the vocal characteristics of particular talkers.
This study examined the degree to which parental contextual factors and infant characteristics predicted whether parents read aloud to their 8-month-old infants. Discriminant function analysis revealed that mothers with higher family incomes and those who reported less parenting stress and fewer general hassles were more likely to read to their infants. Gender and temperament of the infant did not significantly predict whether mothers would engage in shared reading. Furthermore, there was no evidence that mothers who reported reading aloud to their infants display more enriching parenting practices in the laboratory. Paternal contextual factors did not discriminate readers from nonreaders, but infant temperament did. Fathers who read aloud had infants who were less soothable and who displayed longer durations of orienting. The possibility that book reading could serve as 1 mediator of the temperament-cognition relationship is discussed.
Underpowered studies persist in the psychological literature. This article examines reasons for their persistence and the effects on efforts to create a cumulative science. The "curse of multiplicities" plays a central role in the presentation. Most psychologists realize that testing multiple hypotheses in a single study affects the Type I error rate, but corresponding implications for power have largely been ignored. The presence of multiple hypothesis tests leads to 3 different conceptualizations of power. Implications of these 3 conceptualizations are discussed from the perspective of the individual researcher and from the perspective of developing a coherent literature. Supplementing significance tests with effect size measures and confidence intervals is shown to address some but not necessarily all problems associated with multiple testing.
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.
To carry out his investigations, Bruner went to "the clutter of life at home," the child's own setting for learning, rather than observing children in a "contrived video laboratory." For Bruner, language is learned by using it. An central to its use are what he calls "formats," scriptlike interactions between mother and child in short, play and games. What goes on in games as rudimentary as peekaboo or hide-and-seek can tell us much about language acquisition.But what aids the aspirant speaker in his attempt to use language? To answer this, the author postulates the existence of a Language Acquisition Support System that frames the interactions between adult and child in such a way as to allow the child to proceed from learning how to refer to objects to learning to make a request of another human being. And, according to Bruner, the Language Acquisition Support System not only helps the child learn "how to say it" but also helps him to learn "what is canonical, obligatory, and valued among those to whom he says it." In short, it is a vehicle for the transmission of our culture."
Reviewed research from 1960 to 1993 pertaining to the hypothesized influence of parent–preschooler reading experiences on the development of language and literacy skills. The literature provides evidence for this association, although the magnitudes of the observed effects have been quite variable within and between samples and, on average, have been unexpectedly modest. Demographic, attitudinal, and skill differences among preschoolers all apparently made stronger direct contributions to prediction in investigations that permitted such comparisons. These findings are discussed with respect to theory and research on literacy acquisition, educational practice, and parental guidance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
chapter is written from the point of view that temperament concepts are tools, not real entities / centered in the motive to understand social process, especially process involved in the development of behavior problems
definitions of temperament / measurement of temperament / empirical studies / direct validation / role of temperament in socially relevant processes / subjective factors in perceptions of temperament (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Fathers' and mothers' speech to infants was obtained during face-to-face interaction in a laboratory setting. Thirty-two father-infant pairs and 40 mother-infant pairs participated. Infants were divided equally by sex and among two age groups with mean ages of 3 and 9 months. Parental utterances were transcribed from videotapes. The utterances were analyzed in terms of their structure and content. There were many similarities in the structure of fathers' and mothers' speech. The speech of both parents was highly repetitive and contained many questions. There were also similarities in the content of fathers' and mothers' speech. Their belief in the infants' ability to think, feel, and act like persons was evident in their speech to the infants. The age of the infant was a significant factor in the analysis of many of the content categories. The sex of the infant and the sex of the parent were also significant factors in several of the analyses.
Specific predictive relations between mothers' responsiveness to their 5-month-olds' nondistress activities and vocal distress and infants' attention span, symbolic play, and language comprehension at 13 months were examined in 36 dyads in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Maternal responsiveness to infant nondistress activities at 5 months, but not responsiveness to infant distress, uniquely predicted infant attention span and symbolic play, but not infant language comprehension. Mothers' responsiveness at 13 months was positively and consistently, but not significantly, associated with all three infant abilities. The results support a view that the effects of maternal responsiveness on infant mental development are specific and indirect rather than generic and direct and recommend further differentiation of infant activity, maternal responsiveness, and child outcome in studies of children's early mental development.
Parent—infant toy play was studied in 24 families of first-born 8-month-olds. Videotapes of dyadic parent—infant play in a laboratory were coded for predominant forms of play and the sequencing and timing of beahviors. With the exception of high amount of father physical play, there were few parental sex differences in measures of behavior duration. However, father and mother behavior was differential with respect to sequence, particularly in their responses to infant attentional cues, with mothers showing greater responsiveness than fathers to changes in infant-looking behavior.
These observations indicate how the organization of book reading events differs when middle- to upper-class suburban parents read picture books to preverbal and verbal infants. Twelve parent-infant dyads for each group of 9-, 17-, and 27-month-old infants were videotaped in their homes. On each of three visits, two different books were read. The books either contained sentences describing the illustrations or did not contain any sentences. The quality of parent verbalizations changed with the age of the infant; parents reading to younger infants used more attention-recruiting verbalizations and more elaborations, whereas parents reading to older infants used more questions and more feedback. Analyses of sequential dependencies between categories of behaviors suggest that, across these age groups, parents monitor and attempt to maximize their infants' attention to the book. Parents' verbalizations expand from labeling comments, to sequences of labeling questions, to dialogues that exercise the growing linguistic competencies of the infant. Finally, interactions with books containing no sentences led to more verbal behaviors by the parent and more vocalizations by the infant.
Eighty-two mothers with their 44–63-week-old infants were videotaped in the context of picturebook reading. The Strange Situation procedure was applied to assess infant-mother attachment security. The observations of mother and infant behavior support the view of early literacy skills as the outcome of a fundamentally social process. The study shows that the infants' responses gain significance as denotative symbols through responding at books together with the mother, and eventually as the infants' responses grow more mature, through evoking responses and pointing by the mother. These learning/instruction processes depend on the affective dimension of the infant-mother relationship. Attachment security appeared to be related to the distraction/disciplining dimension of sharing a picturebook. The discussion goes into some consequences of learning to read as a social process.
To investigate infants’ affective expressivity and maternal attuned responsiveness to infant expressivity in relation to early language achievement, 77 dyads were visited in their homes at 9 and 13 months, and mothers were interviewed about their children’s language between 9 and 21 months. Maternal responses that were attuned to infant affect, by selectively matching either the gradient features or the valence of infants’ affective expressions, were more predictive of children’s language achievement than maternal nonmatching responses; and maternal matching responses at 9 months were more predictive of children’s language achievements than maternal responses at 13 months. Moreover, maternal matching responses at 9 months predicted second-year language achievements over and above infant affect expressivity at 9 and 13 months, and over and above maternal matching responses at 13 months. Infants’ affective expressivity per se was not predictive.
The relations between home literacy environment and child language ability were examined for 323 4-year-olds attending Head Start and their mothers or primary caregivers. Overall frequency of shared picture book reading, age of onset of picture book reading, duration of shared picture book reading during one recent day, number of picture books in the home, frequency of child's requests to engage in shared picture book reading, frequency of child's private play with books, frequency of shared trips to the library, frequency of caregiver's private reading, and caregiver's enjoyment of private reading constituted the literacy environment, and were measured using a questionnaire completed by each child's primary caregiver. Using a primary subsample of 236 children, a composite literacy environment score was derived from the literacy environment measures and was correlated with a composite child language measure, derived from two standardized tests of language skills. Depending on the form of regression analysis employed and depending on whether primary caregiver IQ and education were entered into the prediction equations, from 12% to 18.5% of the variance in child language scores was accounted for by home literacy environment. These analyses were cross-validated on a secondary subsample of 87 children with similar results. The strength of the relations between home literacy environment and child language are stronger in this study than in previous research, due to the use of statistically derived aggregate measures of literacy environment. The presence of substantial variability in home literacy environments in low-income families, and the substantial relations between these environments and child language outcomes has important implications for intervention.
30 working-class and 33 upper-middle-class mothers were videotaped in dyadic interaction with their 18-29-month-old children in 4 settings--mealtime, dressing, book reading, and toy play. Samples of the mothers' adult-directed speech also were collected. There were significant social class differences in the mothers' child-directed speech and some parallel social class differences in the mothers' adult-directed speech. These findings suggested that some social class differences in child-directed speech may be instances of more general class differences in language use. There also were main effects of communicative setting on mothers' child-directed speech and interaction effects in which setting moderated the size of the class differences in maternal speech. These findings suggested that the amount of time mothers spend interacting with their children in different contexts may be at least as important an influence on children's linguistic experience as are average characteristics of their mothers' speech.
Motor activity level, or customary energy expenditure through movement, is a cornerstone dimension of temperament. In this article we address the unresolved question of sex differences in activity level (AL) by quantitatively integrating results from 90 citations encompassing 127 independent sex difference contrasts. Males are generally more active than females, d = .49, although the magnitude of the difference is associated with other features of the research investigation, such as participant age and situational characteristics. This AL result is judged a large effect within the context of established behavioral sex differences, and implications are discussed.
This paper reports 2 studies that explore the role of joint attentional processes in the child's acquisition of language. In the first study, 24 children were videotaped at 15 and 21 months of age in naturalistic interaction with their mothers. Episodes of joint attentional focus between mother and child--for example, joint play with an object--were identified. Inside, as opposed to outside, these episodes both mothers and children produced more utterances, mothers used shorter sentences and more comments, and dyads engaged in longer conversations. Inside joint episodes maternal references to objects that were already the child's focus of attention were positively correlated with the child's vocabulary at 21 months, while object references that attempted to redirect the child's attention were negatively correlated. No measures from outside these episodes related to child language. In an experimental study, an adult attempted to teach novel words to 10 17-month-old children. Words referring to objects on which the child's attention was already focused were learned better than words presented in an attempt to redirect the child's attentional focus.
The sex-differentiated socialization emphases of parents and other representatives of societal institutions are considered as they influence the personality development and behavioral orientations of males and females. Specifically, sex-differentiated socialization emphases, "shaping" behaviors, and teaching styles are evaluated with regard to the nature of the "meta-messages" conveyed to boys and girls during their early, formative years. These messages are assumed to differentially influence the self-concepts evolved, ego structures, personal goals, and the cognitive-adaptational heuristics of boys and of girls. Differences in the socialization environments experienced by the 2 sexes can be seen as related to gender differences in personality characteristics. To integrate the empirical findings surrounding gender differences in personality and socialization experience, some conjectures are offered regarding the different self- and world views our current culture may be creating and fostering in males and in females. The potential and even likely influence of biological factors conjoined with the bidirectional effects of child and parent interaction are recognized as confounded with an interpretation in terms of differential socialization. But also, it is noted that until the effects of differential socialization are specifically evaluated by cultural, subcultural, or individual family changes, the role of biological and bidirectional factors cannot be assessed.
Data from parent reports on 1,803 children--derived from a normative study of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs)--are used to describe the typical course and the extent of variability in major features of communicative development between 8 and 30 months of age. The two instruments, one designed for 8-16-month-old infants, the other for 16-30-month-old toddlers, are both reliable and valid, confirming the value of parent reports that are based on contemporary behavior and a recognition format. Growth trends are described for children scoring at the 10th-, 25th-, 50th-, 75th-, and 90th-percentile levels on receptive and expressive vocabulary, actions and gestures, and a number of aspects of morphology and syntax. Extensive variability exists in the rate of lexical, gestural, and grammatical development. The wide variability across children in the time of onset and course of acquisition of these skills challenges the meaningfulness of the concept of the modal child. At the same time, moderate to high intercorrelations are found among the different skills both concurrently and predictively (across a 6-month period). Sex differences consistently favor females; however, these are very small, typically accounting for 1%-2% of the variance. The effects of SES and birth order are even smaller within this age range. The inventories offer objective criteria for defining typicality and exceptionality, and their cost effectiveness facilitates the aggregation of large data sets needed to address many issues of contemporary theoretical interest. The present data also offer unusually detailed information on the course of development of individual lexical, gestural, and grammatical items and features. Adaptations of the CDIs to other languages have opened new possibilities for cross-linguistic explorations of sequence, rate, and variability of communicative development.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between joint picture-book-reading experiences provided in the home and children's early oral language skills. Subjects were 41 two-year-old children and their mothers. Measures included maternal report of the age at which she began to read to the child, the frequency of home reading sessions, the number of stories read per week, and the frequency of visits by the child to the local library. Measures of language skill used were the child's receptive and expressive scores on the revised Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Multiple regression analyses indicated that picture-book reading exposure was more strongly related to receptive than to expressive language. Age of onset of home reading routines was the most important predictor of oral language skills. Directions of effect, the importance of parental beliefs as determinants of home reading practices, and the possible existence of a threshold level for reading frequency are discussed.
Infants' long-term retention of the sound patterns of words was explored by exposing them to recordings of three children's
stories for 10 days during a 2-week period when they were 8 months old. After an interval of 2 weeks, the infants heard lists
of words that either occurred frequently or did not occur in the stories. The infants listened significantly longer to the
lists of story words. By comparison, a control group of infants who had not been exposed to the stories showed no such preference.
The findings suggest that 8-month-olds are beginning to engage in long-term storage of words that occur frequently in speech,
which is an important prerequisite for learning language.
This longitudinal study including 87 infant-mother dyads examined the relation between infant temperamental attention, maternal encouragement of attention, language, and the effects of gender. At ages 0;4, 0;8, and 1;0, global attention was assessed from Rothbart's (1981) IBQ; manipulative exploration was assessed with the Bayley (1969) IBR; and maternal verbal, visual and physical encouragement of attention were coded from 5 minutes of mother-infant free-play. At 1;0, language was measured using language items from the Bayley Mental Scale and parent-report items from Hendrick, Prather & Tobin's (1984) SICD-Revised. Multiple regressions indicated that gender, infants' manipulative exploration and maternal physical encouragement of attention at 0;4, and maternal verbal encouragement of attention at 1;0, were all positively related to language at 1;0. Interactions indicated that girls high in 0;8 or 1;0 manipulative exploration had more advanced language skills than girls low in manipulative exploration or than boys, regardless of their attention level. Additionally, maternal verbal encouragement of attention appears to be particularly salient in the development of language for boys.
Infant care and activity sheet Sequenced inventory of communication development—revised edition Mother–child conversation in different social classes and communicative settings
- M C Goeke-Morey
- D L Hendrick
- E M Prather
- A R Tobin
Goeke-Morey, M. C. (1995). Infant care and activity sheet. Unpublished questionnaire, University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Hendrick, D. L., Prather, E. M., & Tobin, A. R. (1984). Sequenced inventory of communication development—revised edition. Seattle7 University of Washington Press. Hoff-Ginsberg, E. (1991). Mother–child conversation in different social classes and communicative settings. Child Development, 62, 782 – 796.
Child's talk: Learning to use language. New York7 Norton Mothers reading to their three-year-olds: The role of mother–child attachment
- J Bruner
Bruner, J. (1985). Child's talk: Learning to use language. New York7 Norton. Bus, A. G., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (1995). Mothers reading to their three-year-olds: The role of mother–child attachment
Infant care and activity sheet
- M C Goeke-Morey
Goeke-Morey, M. C. (1995). Infant care and activity sheet. Unpublished questionnaire, University of Notre Dame, Indiana.
Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy
- Bus