A comparison of preschool children’s discussions with parents during picture book and chapter book reading

Abstract

Discussions that occur during book reading between parents and preschool children relate to children’s language development, especially discussions during picture books that include extended discourse, a form of abstract language. While a recent report shows increased chapter book reading among families with preschool children, it is unknown whether chapter books also facilitate these types of conversations. Further, the substantial variation in preschoolers’ language ability raises the question of whether chapter book reading may be beneficial for all children of this age. The current study examined the discussions between five-year-old children (N = 33) and their parents while reading both a picture book and the first chapter of a chapter book. Findings are discussed in terms of the variation observed in the amount and types of discussion, how chapter book discussions compare to picture book discussions, and finally, how children’s narrative skill can serve as an indicator of children’s ability to participate in discussions, especially during chapter book reading.

Effects of feedback on parent–child language with infants and toddlers in Korea

“…Similarly, Leech and Rowe (2014) compared 5-year-old children’s ( N = 33) discussions with their parents during picture book and chapter book reading (chapter books tell the story primarily through the text, although they tend to be profusely illustrated). There was variation in the amount and type of discussion between contexts.…”

Keeping it simple: the grammatical properties of shared book reading

“…Second, studies examining the extra-textual talk produced by caregivers when sharing books with young children (see Fletcher & Reese, 2005, for a comprehensive review; also Leech & Rowe, 2014) demonstrate its qualitative and quantitative benefits when compared to everyday CDS (e.g., Hayes & Ahrens, 1988; Snow, Arlman-Rupp, Hassing, Jobse, Joosten, & Vorster, 1976). For example, Hoff-Ginsberg (1991) analysed mothers’ speech across four contexts (mealtimes, dressing, toy play, and book reading) and found that the mothers’ rate of speech, MLU, and lexical diversity was highest during the book reading activity.…”

A Book Interaction Scheme to Enhance Children’s Reading Experiences and Preferences

“…When new forms of interaction are combined with content, they can induce pleasure in preschool children. Furthermore, Leech and Rowe (2014) found that picture books can be easily understood by preschool children and can lead to subsequent discussions about this content with their parents, meaning that they also help children’s language development. Preschoolers can easily interact with books according to their intentions, which increases their sense of participation and enhances positive emotions.…”

“…For preschool children, the most attractive interactive book form was folding interaction, while the overall sensory interaction was higher than behavioral interaction. Preschool children are curious, they read pictures rather than words, and pictures helped them understand the story ( Leech and Rowe, 2014 ; Li and Zhu, 2017 ), thus interactions that changed the picture into a different story attracted them the most. Behavioral interaction is an important factor in the design of books and could affect how they display illustrations and words.…”