Online Dialogic Reading Training Program for Pediatric Clinicians: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Early Childhood Education
• Health Literacy

Background:

• Pediatric clinicians (PC) are crucial for promoting child development and literacy.
• Integrating dialogic reading (DR) into pediatric care offers long-term benefits.
• Evidence for online DR training for PC is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an online DR training program for PC.
• To assess improvements in DR skills, knowledge, and attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial with 104 participants.
• Intervention group received weekly online instructional videos for 3 weeks.
• Assessed DR skills, knowledge, and attitudes at baseline, 3, and 7 weeks.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in DR skills and knowledge in the intervention group compared to controls (P < .001).
• Within-group improvements in skills, knowledge, and attitudes observed at 3 and 7 weeks.
• No significant difference in attitudes toward DR between groups.

Conclusions:

• Online DR training effectively enhances PC's DR skills and knowledge.
• This training can improve clinicians' ability to support early literacy through caregiver engagement.