Global Tales: Exploring Cultural Variances in Parent–Child Interactions Within Narrative Settings

Parent-child interactions, particularly storytelling practices, play a critical role in children's language development, yet the influence of cultural variation in these practices remains underexplored. This quantitative study aims to examine differences between English and Zimbabwean storytelling practices and their impact on children's story recall. To address limitations in previous research, including the reliance on artificial settings and insufficient attention to cultural diversity, we will conduct a naturalistic study in participants' homes. Parent-child dyads will be observed in three contexts: playtime, story time using a storybook and oral narration. Data will be collected on verbal behaviour, hand gestures and visual attention, while children's recall will be measured following each type of storytelling. This study will address four key research questions: (1) How do cultural groups differ in their storytelling mode and pedagogic orientation? (2) How do multimodal dyadic behaviours differ across cultures during storytelling and play? (3) Are there cross-cultural differences in the frequency and types of hand gestures used in storytelling? (4) Is greater parental experience with oral narration associated with enhanced child recall? The study will involve English dyads in England and Zimbabwean dyads in Zimbabwe. By examining these interactions in participants' home environments and by including both Zimbabwean families in Zimbabwe and English families in England, this research will shed light on how culturally rooted storytelling practices influence cognitive and language development and inform our understanding of culturally responsive parenting approaches.