Parent–child joint reading is related to an increased fixation time on print during storytelling among preschool children

Michal Zivan, Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Print exposure in early childhood is related to linguistic skills such as oral language, reading comprehension and spelling during school years. A common way of exposing preschool children to print is during joint storytelling. Research has shown that total fixation time on print during storytelling is between 2% and 6% of the total fixation time on the book and is a function of the child's age. What has yet to be determined, however, are differences, if any, in child fixation time on print during parent vs. experimenter joint storytelling. Here, we examined the effect of parent vs. experimenter storytelling–reading on fixation time on print among 4–6-year-old preschoolers. Specifically, we used an eye-tracking device to compare the fixation time percentage on print while the parent vs. an experimenter were reading a story to the child. Preschoolers fixated more on print when their parent was reading a story to them vs. the experimenter. Positive correlations between fixation time on print and linguistic skills and processing speed were found. Results suggest that joint storytelling with a parent promotes print awareness, an important factor in developing literacy and reading skills, and thus further emphasizes the importance of parent–child joint storytelling.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105596
JournalBrain and Cognition
Volume143
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.

Funding

This study was supported by the Alon Foundation for Young Investigators.

FundersFunder number
Alon Foundation for Young Investigators

    Keywords

    • Emergent literacy
    • Eye tracking
    • Joint storytelling
    • Parent–child interaction
    • Print awareness

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