Meaning-Related and Print-Related Interactions Between Preschoolers and Parents During Shared Book Reading and Their Associations With Emergent Literacy Skills

This study examined interactions between preschool children and parents during shared book reading by analyzing parental self-report data. Using confirmatory factor analytic procedures and structural equation modeling, this study developed a scale measuring meaning-related and print-related reading interactions and examined their associations with children’s emergent literacy skills. Based on a sample of 242 participants, this study confirmed a two-factor model of shared book-reading interactions: meaning- and print-related interactions. The study also demonstrated that meaning-related interactions were significantly related to children’s receptive and expressive vocabulary and that print-related interactions were significantly associated with their letter-name knowledge. Additional findings indicated that while reading together, parents and their preschool children reported a greater focus on the contents of the story than on the printed letters or words. Compared to less educated mothers, mothers with higher levels of education reported engaging more frequently in meaning-related interactions with their children during shared reading. Implications for research and practice are discussed.