Interactive Book Reading in Early Education: A Tool to Stimulate Print Knowledge as Well as Oral Language

This meta-analysis examines to what extent interactive storybook reading stimulates two pillars of learning to read: vocabulary and print knowledge. The authors quantitatively reviewed 31 (quasi) experiments ( n = 2,049 children) in which educators were trained to encourage children to be actively involved before, during, and after joint book reading. A moderate effect size was found for oral language skills, implying that both quality of book reading in classrooms and frequency are important. Although teaching print-related skills is not part of interactive reading programs, 7% of the variance in kindergarten children’s alphabetic knowledge could be attributed to the intervention. The study also shows that findings with experimenters were simply not replicable in a natural classroom setting. Further research is needed to disentangle the processes that explain the effects of interactive reading on children’s print knowledge and the strategies that may help transfer intervention effects from researchers to children’s own teachers.

Download Full-text

Joint picture-book reading correlates of early oral language skill

Journal of Child Language ◽

10.1017/s0305000900008370 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 455-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 144

Author(s):

Barbara D. Debaryshe

Keyword(s):

Oral Language ◽

Picture Book ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Language Skills ◽

Threshold Level ◽

Language Skill ◽

Book Reading ◽

Home Reading ◽

Oral Language Skills ◽

Picture Book Reading

ABSTRACTThe 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.

Download Full-text

Low- and high-text books facilitate the same amount and quality of extratextual talk

First Language ◽

10.1177/0142723717697347 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 410-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amber Muhinyi ◽

Anne Hesketh

Keyword(s):

Oral Language ◽

Book Reading ◽

Shared Book Reading ◽

Similar Amount ◽

Text Book ◽

Lexical Diversity ◽

Level Of Abstraction ◽

Oral Language Skills ◽

Mean Length Of Utterance

Recent research suggests that caregiver–child extratextual talk during shared book reading facilitates the development of preschool children’s oral language skills. This study investigated the effects of the amount of picturebook text on mother–child extratextual talk during shared book reading. Twenty-four mother–child dyads (children aged 3;01–3;11) were video-recorded as they read two books: low text and high text. Book reading interaction was transcribed, and mothers’ extratextual talk coded for level of abstraction, mean length of utterance and lexical diversity. The mean number of extratextual utterances was calculated for mothers and children, separately. Low-text books facilitated a similar amount of extratextual talk, but higher rates per minute because of their shorter reading durations. The amount of text did not affect the level of abstraction, mean length of utterance, or lexical diversity of maternal extratextual talk. The amount of picturebook text should be considered by those developing and implementing interactive reading interventions. Low-text books facilitate the same amount and quality of extratextual talk in shorter time periods.

Download Full-text

Fostering Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy: Recommendations for Enhanced Literacy Experiences and Collaborative Instruction

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/pers-sig16-2018-0012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 167-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Clariebelle Gabas ◽

Leesa Marante ◽

Sonia Q. Cabell

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Emergent Literacy ◽

Oral Language ◽

Literacy Instruction ◽

Language Skills ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Book Reading ◽

Shared Book Reading ◽

Emergent Literacy Skills ◽

Oral Language Skills

Purpose Emergent literacy skills involve both the code-related and oral language skills that serve as the foundation for successful reading and writing development. Code-related skills have been found to be highly predictive of decoding skills for preschool children and continue to exert a strong influence through the early elementary grades. Likewise, early oral language skills make important contributions to later reading comprehension. Accordingly, the preschool period is a critical time for supporting and facilitating growth in children's emergent literacy skills. Speech-language pathologists working in preschool settings can play an integral role in enhancing literacy instruction through their specialized knowledge of linguistic concepts and language development. The following article aims to provide practitioners with evidence-based strategies for supporting the development of preschoolers' emergent literacy skills in the context of shared book reading and making experience books. The article also outlines recommendations for fostering effective collaborations with teachers to provide high-quality classroom experiences for all preschool children. Conclusion Providing preschool children with a print-rich environment along with clear and explicit explanations, scaffolding, and ample opportunities for practice can help to enhance the quality of language and literacy instruction. Although this article specifically focuses on shared book reading and making experience books, it is important to note that the strategies discussed here apply to a variety of activities. Speech-language pathologists are encouraged to actively collaborate with teachers to integrate these strategies into various classroom activities to optimize learning and promote children's emergent literacy skills.

Download Full-text

The Comprehension Problems of Children With Poor Reading Comprehension Despite Adequate Decoding: A Meta-Analysis

Review of Educational Research ◽

10.3102/0034654317749187 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 88 (3) ◽

pp. 366-400 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Mercedes Spencer ◽

Richard K. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Oral Language ◽

Listening Comprehension ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Poor Reading ◽

Syntactic Knowledge ◽

Specific Reading ◽

Oral Language Skills ◽

Comprehension Deficit ◽

Practical Implications

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the comprehension problems of children who have a specific reading comprehension deficit (SCD), which is characterized by poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding. The meta-analysis included 86 studies of children with SCD who were assessed in reading comprehension and oral language (vocabulary, listening comprehension, storytelling ability, and semantic and syntactic knowledge). Results indicated that children with SCD had deficits in oral language (d = −0.78, 95% confidence interval, CI [−0.89, −0.68], but these deficits were not as severe as their deficit in reading comprehension (d = −2.78, 95% CI [−3.01, −2.54]). When compared with reading comprehension age–matched normal readers, the oral language skills of the two groups were comparable (d = 0.32, 95% CI [−0.49, 1.14]), which suggests that the oral language weaknesses of children with SCD represent a developmental delay rather than developmental deviance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Download Full-text