The Efficacy of a Professional Development Program to Enhance Preschool Educators’ Ability to Facilitate Conversation During Shared Book Reading

• Main Author: Milburn, Trelani Faith
• Other Authors: Girolametto, Luigi
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: preschool; shared book reading; language; conversation; 0518
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/31341

This study investigated the effects of a shared book reading professional development program on preschool educators’ ability to engage children in book-related conversations and promote word learning. 20 preschool educators were video-recorded reading two books to a small group of children at pre- and posttest eight weeks apart. Educators in the experimental group (n = 10) participated in professional development that included classroom instruction and individualized coaching. The control group remained on the waitlist. All video-recordings were transcribed and coded. Results indicated that educators in the experimental group included significantly more questions, responsive statements, and lexical diversity in their book-related talk compared to the control group. Further, they facilitated longer book-related conversations and had more long conversations (i.e., five turns or longer). Finally, conversations that included inferential talk resulted in the longest conversations. These findings suggest that professional development can enhance educators’ responsiveness during shared book reading.