Drawing attention to print or meaning: How parents read with their preschool-aged children on paper and on screens

BackgroundShared reading is an important opportunity for parents and children to connect and learn, which can support later independent reading skills. Much of the research to date has examined shared reading as parents read physical print books with their children. This research has demonstrated that parents tend to engage in more activities that emphasise the meaning of the stories over the code (i.e., print). Here, we examine the focus of shared reading when parents are reading with their children on paper versus on a digital device and whether this differs across the preschool years.MethodsA total of 253 parents of children aged 0-5 years completed an online self-report questionnaire. Parents reported on the frequency of engaging in meaning- versus code-related activities during shared book reading on paper and on screen with their youngest child. We conducted a linear regression analysis contrasting code- versus meaning-related activities on paper versus screen modality with age as a continuous variable.ResultsKey to our objectives, parents reported engaging in meaning-related activities more frequently during shared reading on paper versus on screens and in code-related activities more frequently during shared reading on screens than on paper. These effects did not differ across age, although overall, parents reported engaging slightly more frequently in shared reading activities in general when their child was older.ConclusionsThe findings show that parents are engaging with their children differently as they read together on paper versus screens. Consistent with prior research, we found that activities emphasising the meaning of stories dominate shared paper book reading experiences in the preschool years. Critically shared reading on screens tips this balance, with parents reporting more code-related activities. These patterns identify the learning opportunities enabled by the affordances of shared reading on screens. What is already known about this topic Research to date on shared reading has shown that parents tend to focus on the meaning of the story (meaning-related activities) over the features of the print (code-related activities). This research has largely described how parents read on paper. Parents and children are increasingly reading on screens.What this paper adds We found that parents report engaging in more meaning-related activities when reading with their children on paper than on screens. Parents engage in more code-related activities when reading with their children on screens than on paper. While we found that the frequency of shared reading activities in general increased slightly with the age of the children, the frequency of parental engagement in both types of shared reading activities is similar across the preschool years.Implications for theory, policy or practice The findings show that parents report engaging with their children differently as they read together on paper versus screens. Consistent with prior research, we found that when reading on paper, parents emphasise the meaning of stories during shared book reading experiences in the preschool years. In contrast, parents report more code-related activities when doing shared reading on a screen than on paper. These findings suggest that the affordances offered by reading on screens shift the learning opportunities offered by shared reading.