Dialogic classroom talk during shared book reading: Effects on quality of conversations

This study explored how an intervention directed at dialogic classroom talk affects conversation quality during shared book reading in Dutch early childhood classrooms. Over six weeks, teachers from 21 classrooms read a picture book twice a week to the children (N = 403 children aged 4-6). Teachers in the intervention condition were instructed to use dialogic talk tools during shared book reading, while teachers in the control condition read the books as they were used to. Reading sessions were recorded on video. Lesson transcripts of pre- and post-observation were analyzed on whole-class discourse characteristics. Outcomes of Mann Whitney U Tests indicated a significant increase in duration of reading sessions, children’s mean length of turn, and use of key linguistic features in the intervention condition compared to the control condition. Teachers’ conversational skills did not significantly change. Findings confirm that dialogic classroom talk during shared book reading can improve children’s speech.