Value added: Digital modeling of dialogic questioning promotes positive parenting during shared reading

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Shared picture book reading is crucial for parent-child bonding.
• Dialogic reading interventions enhance language outcomes but their impact on parent-child interaction quality is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a digital application designed to promote positive parent-child interactions during shared reading.
• To assess the impact of modeled dialogic questioning within an eBook on parent-child mutuality, positivity, and on-task behaviors.

Main Methods:

• 73 parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to read an eBook with modeled dialogic questioning (experimental), without modeling (control), or with choice.
• Parent, child, and dyadic behaviors were assessed using an adapted PARCHISY coding scheme before and after a 2-week home reading period.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed significant increases in mutuality, positivity, and on-task behaviors compared to control.
• The choice group also showed some improvements, but fewer than the experimental group.
• No significant increases in negativity were observed in any group.

Conclusions:

• Digital technology, specifically an eBook modeling dialogic questioning, can effectively foster positive parent-child interactions during shared reading.
• Carefully designed digital tools have the potential to enhance the quality of shared reading experiences.