Effects of Shared Book-reading Techniques on the Early Literacy and Language Skill of 4- and 5-year olds

Abstract

Preschool is an important period in a child’s life as they learn from the environment around them. Gaining of early literacy and language skills before formal reading instruction begins at school is imperative as it sets a child up for later reading achievement. The skills that are considered most important for future reading achievement are alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness and vocabulary/language skill. While these skills are taught implicitly within early childhood centres as the children interact with the teachers, it is thought there could be more done to ensure that children are learning pre-reading skills before they get to school. Past studies have looked at phonological sensitivity interventions to help improve skills such as alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness as both are found to correlate with reading ability in later years of schooling. Shared book-reading interventions use strategies such as dialogic reading to help improve children’s language before they reach school. The present study aimed, therefore, to explore whether different forms of shared book-reading between parent and child would help to improve specific skills. Rich Reading and Reminiscing combined dialogic reading and elaborative reminiscing techniques to focus on the meaning of words and narrative of the story. It was expected that this form of shared book-reading would improve vocabulary/language skills. Strengthening Sound Sensitivity focused on sounds and forms of words in text. It was expected that this form of shared book-reading would improve literacy skills. Data were collected as a part of larger study which examined other aspects of children’s skills and behaviour before reaching school. Children were first assessed soon after turning 4-years old. They were then split into condition: Rich Reading and Reminiscing, Strengthening Sound Sensitivity, or the Activity Based Control group. If children were in either of the condition groups they went through a six-week programme where parents read specific books that included prompts according to condition. Each week, two books were read through three times each with different prompts for each read through and different activities at the end of each book. If the children were in the control group, they were sent a different themed activity box for each week. Alphabet knowledge, Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary were assessed at post-test, 7-month follow up, and 1-year follow up; as well as Phoneme Segmentation Fluency, Nonsense Word Reading and Word Identification Fluency being assessed at 1-year follow up. ANCOVAs were performed for each follow-up measure, controlling for age and relevant pre-test measure, to explore differences between conditions. It was found that the Rich Reading and Reminiscing condition had no effect on vocabulary/language skills at any time point. However, children in the Strengthening Sound Sensitivity condition were found to correctly read more whole words at 1-year follow up, as well as read more nonsense words and correctly identify more letter sounds at 1-year follow up. These findings suggest that when parents focus on sounds in words when reading books to their children, it may improve reading ability once the child reaches school.