Mer än bara sagostund - högläsning som stöd för barns narrativa och pragmatiska utveckling : En enkätundersökning om pedagogers arbete med högläsning kopplat till barn med pragmatiska svårigheter.

Abstract The aim of this study is to contribute with increased knowledge about shared reading practices in relation to children with pragmatic language difficulties. Specifically, we seek to highlight the types of adjustments educators apply to support these children during reading activities. Also, we want to highlight factors that may limit educators ability to adapt read aloud sessions for these children. The study was conducted through a web-based survey, with responses from 90 preschool educators across different regions in Sweden. The results show that shared reading occurs on average at least once a week, and 84 respondents reported having observed pragmatic difficulties among children in these situations. The most reported limitations were large group sizes, low staff-to-child ratios, lack of resources, and unclear distribution of responsibilities. The most frequently used adaptations included reading in smaller groups, the use of visual and sign support, story boxes, aesthetic processing and purposeful questioning. According to our analysis, educators use strategies that, within a sociocultural framework, can be interpreted as forms of scaffolding, and they adapt their reading practices using mediating tools. However, it is emphasized that opportunities to apply individualized scaffolding to reach each child´s zone of proximal development are constrained by organizational factors.