Dialogic Reading: A Shared Picture Book Reading Intervention for Preschoolers

Over the past several decades, many studies have demonstrated that preschoolers’ experience with shared reading is linked to their development of language. Correlational studies have revealed that the frequency of shared picture book reading in the home is related to preschoolers’ language skills (e.g., Mason, 1980; Payne, Whitehurst, & Angell, 1994; Wells, 1985; Wells, Barnes, & Wells, 1984). Experimental work bolsters these findings: Several researchers have demonstrated that shared picture book reading experiences result in gains in preschoolers’ vocabulary (e.g., Elley, 1989; Jenkins, Stein, & Wysocki, 1984; Sénéchal, & Cornell, 1993; Sénéchal, Thomas, & Monker, 1995; Vivas, 1996), oral language complexity (McNeill & Fowler, 1999; Valdez-Menchaca & Whitehurst, 1992), and narrative skills (Harkins, Koch, & Michel, 1994; Zevenbergen & Wilson, 1996). Studies also suggest a link between early experiences with shared picture book reading and later language and literacy skills (cf. Dickinson & Smith, 1994; Stevenson & Fredman, 1990; Wells, 1985). For example, Wells (1985) showed that the amount of time that children spent listen-ing to stories between 1 and 3 years of age was significantly correlated with their language skills at age 5 and their reading comprehension skills at age 7. Similarly, Stevenson and Fredman (1990) found a significant relationship between the frequency of parent-child shared reading when children were preschoolers and their reading, spelling, and IQ scores at age 13.