Shared Book Reading in Preschool Supports Bilingual Children’s Second-Language Learning: A Cluster-Randomized Trial

The study investigates the effect of a shared book reading intervention (Extend) on bilingual kindergarten children’s majority language development. The research questions were: (1) Did the Extend intervention help the focus children develop their second language skills in vocabulary, grammar, narrative skills and perspective-taking faster than the children who did not receive the intervention? (2) Did the intervention’s inclusion of the home as an intervention component produce any effect on the children’s mother tongue vocabulary?

The children in the focus group showed greater progress in terms of language development (vocabulary and grammar) in the majority language than the children in the control group. The focus group also showed greater development in perspective change and the ability to understand the feelings of others. The results of the study indicate that offering kindergarten teachers support in the form of a collection of books on the same topic, guidance in good reading practices and specific recommendations on which words and content aspects teachers should focus on and ask children about, has a positive effect on bilingual children’s language development. This approach may represent a middle ground between a strict curriculum and more random linguistic encounters between child and adult.

The study involves a total of 464 children from 60 kindergartens in Norway. The children’s language development was investigated using pre-tests and post-tests. The children’s language skills in their first and second languages were assessed using a specially developed test battery. Their narrative skills and abilities to see something from different perspectives were investigated using various tests, conversations and interviews. The conversations between the child and the researcher were audio recorded and later transcribed. The children had different non-Norwegian language backgrounds, and the development of the children’s mother tongue vocabulary was investigated for eleven of these languages. The kindergarten staff who participated in the study were either qualified kindergarten teachers or studying to become kindergarten teachers.

Grøver, V., Rydland, V., Gustaffson, J.-E. & Snow, C. E. (2020). “Shared Book Reading in Preschool Supports Bilingual Children’s Second-Language Learning: A Cluster-Randomized Trial”. Child Development, 91(6):2192-2210.