Playful reading: fostering parent-infant interaction and communication through interactive shared reading

Abstract in English

Shared reading is associated with benefits for language development and parent-child emotional connection. This thesis examines interactive shared reading, including full-term and preterm infants, focusing on parenting practices, parent-infant interaction, and communication. Four studies were conducted using methodological pluralism.

Study I, a two-part feasibility study, developed and evaluated an interactive shared reading intervention for preverbal infants. Subjects included 11 dyads randomly selected from a larger sample. Part one was descriptive, using interviews to establish feasibility. Caregivers described changes in reading behaviors and infant responses. Part two included a within-subject pretest-posttest intervention design to explore gains in cognitive and language abilities. Some improvements in language were observed; no changes were found in cognitive development.

Study II was a quasi-experimental study with between-group and within-group comparisons, as well as comparisons to standard scores. An extended intervention group (n = 11), receiving more sessions, was randomly selected from treatment-as-usual (TAU). The extended group was compared to the TAU group (n = 77). No significant between-group differences in language were found. Both groups improved in symbolic language post-intervention compared to standard scores; effect size analysis favored the extended intervention. Within-group analysis indicated gains in symbolic language for TAU.

Study III used a qualitative design to explore parents’ experiences of the reading intervention one year post-intervention. The 11 caregivers from previous studies were interviewed, and responses were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with a descriptive inductive approach. Two main themes emerged: playful reading and discovering my baby’s way of communicating, each with two subthemes. Reading together was described as enjoyable, and parents reported becoming more attuned to their infant.

Study IV introduced the intervention to three parents and their preterm children in a convergent mixed-methods study, combining a single-subject A-B design with time delay and a semi-structured interview. Findings suggest that interactive shared reading can foster communication and mutual interactions.

A conceptual model integrating findings across all studies was developed. Results indicated that interactive shared reading has the potential to nurture parent-infant relationships, support parenting practices, and enhance early communication.