Effects of Embedding Decontextualized Language through Book-Sharing Delivered by Mothers and Fathers in Co-Parenting Environment

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Language, Communication

Abstract

This experiment investigated the effects of a decontextualized language embedded book-sharing intervention implemented in co-parenting homes. This study is the systematic replication of a previous study published in the Word Gap special issue of the Early Childhood Quarterly Journal. Decontextualized language enables preschoolers to infer non-immediate meanings from words and sentences alone and promotes comprehension and elaboration from the text. This type of language requires an advanced understanding of abstract meaning construction out of text and verbal language. Adult scaffolding can help preschool children to master decontextualized language skills. In this session, we will present the effects of a decontextualized language embedded book-sharing intervention program on the language contributions of four mothers and four fathers living in low socioeconomic status.
Each family received fourteen storybooks and a mobile phone application (WhatsApp©) to record book reading sessions at home and to transfer them to the researchers. This mobile application was also used to send daily-reminders to parents and communicate the book delivery logistic issues. Each father and mother were trained with a sequence of three short videos explaining and illustrating three decontextualized language strategies; text to life talk, explanatory talk and interpretation talk. These videos were shared with the parents via WhatsApp©. Within the books, instructions were cued that reminded fathers and mothers when to use decontextualized language strategies. Parent-child dyads read each book two days with embedded cues and one day without the cues. Each parent-child dyad completed 21 book reading sessions. Participants practiced each decontextualized language strategy during six sessions with two books. Decontextualized language strategies were counterbalanced between participants and introduced to the participants in a staggered fashion.
A multiple baseline design across behaviors was used to investigate changes in the numbers of father, mother and child decontextualized and contextualized utterances and overall dyadic interaction with and without embedded reminders during book sharing. One hundred sixty book reading sessions of father-child, mother-child dyads were transcribed verbatim. The extra-textual talk during book sharing was coded to identify the total numbers of decontextualized and contextualized utterances produced by mothers and fathers. The scores were evaluated through visual analysis, Tau-U effect size analysis, a mixed effects model, and social validity reports. In this analysis, we examined a) functional relationships between the book reading program and parent-child decontextualized utterances and dyadic language indicators and b) how child decontextualized language utterances could be explained by the amount of decontextualized language talk mothers and fathers produce during baseline and intervention sessions.
Embedding decontextualized language prompts in books not only increased parental decontextualized language utterances, but most parents were able to maintain use of strategies without prompts in the books. The intervention effects were consistently higher for parents than for their children. Social validity results demonstrated parental satisfaction with program delivery and content. This study adds to the limited literature on father-child and mother-child decontextualized conversations during book-sharing and illustrates a feasible, adaptable way of promoting language experiences in the home that yield engaging decontextualized conversations in meaningful book-reading contexts.

Authors

• Yagmur Seven, University of Kansas
  Presenting Author

• Howard Goldstein, University of South Florida
  Non-Presenting Author