Adult-Child
Interactions During Story Reading
Studies on interactions between adults and children during storybook reading indicate that the presence or absence of storybook reading is not the only factor that influences children's literacy development. According to Sulzby and Teale (1996), an important factor in storybook reading in both the home and school is how adults respond to children's reactions and initiations:
"Thus, it appears that a key factor in the effect of storybook reading across home and school is how the adult mediates the reading in response to the children's reactions and initiations. The important link between social interaction and cognition seems to be manifested as the relation between the adult's mediation of the book and the child's learning or internalization. The adult mediator seems to have a definite effect on what the child takes from the reading situation." (p. 737)
Adult-child interactions can affect the child's vocabulary development, enjoyment of reading, comprehension, phonemic awareness, and expressive language.
