Father–Child Shared Reading Behaviours and Emergent Literacy: Insights from the Daddy Book Club

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between children’s emergent literacy, fathers’ involvement in early literacy development, and shared book-reading activities within early childhood education (ECE) settings. Using an experimental pre-test/post-test design, it evaluates the effectiveness of the Daddy Book Club , an emergent literacy intervention aimed at enhancing fathers’ reading behaviours to support their children’s literacy development. Data were collected using the Parent–Child Reading Behaviour Checklist (Collings in N Z J Speech Lang Ther 67:22–30, 2012) and the Preschool Word and Print Awareness Assessment (PWPA) (Justice in Child Lang Teach Ther 17:207–225, 2001). Findings indicate that the intervention improved fathers’ engagement in shared reading, leading to increased print-referencing behaviours and enhanced vocabulary and print awareness in children. These results underscore the importance of fathers as active participants in early literacy development and offer valuable insights for future research and educational practices aimed at strengthening parental involvement in children’s literacy learning within ECE settings.