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The present meta-analysis was conducted to examine how shared book reading affects the English language and literacy skills of young children learning English as a second language. The final analysis included 54 studies of shared reading conducted in the United States. Features of the intervention and child characteristics were tested as potential moderators, and the impact of methodological criteria was examined using sensitivity analyses. Results revealed an overall significant, positive effect of shared reading on English learners' outcomes. Children's developmental status moderated this effect, with larger effect sizes found in studies including only typically developing participants than in studies including only participants with developmental disorders. No other significant moderators were identified. The main positive effect was robust to the application of more stringent methodological inclusion criteria. These results support shared book reading as an early educational activity for young English learners.

Predictors of early word reading are well established. However, it is unclear if these predictors hold for readers across a range of word reading abilities. This study used quantile regression to investigate predictive relationships at different points in the distribution of word reading. Quantile regression analyses used preschool and kindergarten measures of letter knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatised naming, sentence repetition, vocabulary and mother's education to predict first‐grade word reading. Predictors generally varied in significance across levels of word reading. Notably, rapid automatised naming was a significant unique predictor for average and good readers but not poor readers. Letter knowledge was generally a stronger unique predictor for poor and average readers than good readers. Well‐known word reading predictors varied in significance at different points along the word reading distribution. Results have implications for early identification and statistical analyses of reading‐related outcomes. What is already known about this topic Early predictors of word reading are well established, with letter knowledge, phonological awareness and rapid automatised naming identified as key predictors. These relationships are primarily investigated in average readers, or in groups of good and poor readers separated by an arbitrary cut‐off score. What this paper adds In this study, we used quantile regression to determine significant predictors of word reading across a range of word reading abilities. The quantile regression approach avoids the loss of power that can arise when creating subgroups and has none of the issues associated with the use of a single, arbitrary cut-off score to separate good and poor readers. Letter knowledge and phonological awareness were significantly predictive of word reading across the distribution of word reading abilities, whereas rapid automatised naming was significant only for good readers, and sentence recall was significant only for poor readers. Implications for theory, policy and practice Results reinforce the usefulness of measures such as letter knowledge, phonological awareness and sentence repetition in the early identification of children at risk for reading disabilities. Results also suggest that measures of rapid naming may add little unique information in differentiating between children who subsequently read in the below‐average range.

Purpose In this study, we examine how well kindergarten letter identification and phonological awareness predict 2nd grade word reading and dyslexia in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and their age- and grade-matched peers with typical language (TL). Method We employ (a) logistic regression to determine how letter identification and phonological awareness predict dyslexia, that is, dichotomous categorization of good or poor word reading, in children with DLD and TL and (b) quantile regression to determine how letter identification and phonological awareness are associated with word reading abilities on a continuum in these groups of children. Results Logistic regression revealed that letter identification was the only significant, unique kindergarten predictor of dyslexia in 2nd grade children with DLD, when compared to phonological awareness. In children with TL, both kindergarten letter identification and phonological awareness significantly predicted dyslexia in 2nd grade. Quantile regression revealed that kindergarten letter identification was a stronger predictor of 2nd grade word reading for average and lower achieving word readers with DLD and their peers with TL compared to higher performing readers. Phonological awareness was weakly associated with word reading across the full continuum of word reading abilities in children with DLD. Conclusion Letter identification is a more accurate predictor of poor word reading and dyslexia than phonological awareness in kindergarten children with DLD, which has important implications for recent U.S. legislation around early identification of dyslexia in all children.