Shared Book Reading Experiences Among Burmese Refugee Families and their Preschool-age Children

• In Event: Interventions Addressing Early Childhood Displacement

Abstract

Shared book-reading is a method of reading that incorporates extratextual talk through open-ended questions, comments, and prompts to encourage children to actively participate during book-reading and enhances children’s ability to attain vocabulary and print knowledge (Hassinger-Das et al., 2016; Mol et al., 2009). While there has been extensive research on shared book-reading overall, there is limited understanding of what shared book-reading looks like for multilingual refugee families and children, particularly among Burmese families who are part of the largest incoming refugee groups in the United States (Igielnik & Kronstad, 2017). In previous interviews, parents pointed out their challenges concerning reading books with their children. In our study, we aimed to understand how Burmese refugee parents and their young children use simple strategies of shared book-reading while interacting with bilingual children’s books.
Four Burmese refugee mothers together with their preschool-age children participated in this experience and a Burmese-speaking interpreter facilitated in communication between the investigators and participants. Data collection proceeded in four phases. First, investigators modeled shared book reading strategies that mirrored the questioning method of Dialogic Reading (Lonigan & Whitehurst,1998). These include asking children to complete sentences, recall events in the story, asking open-ended questions, wh-questions, and questions that relate the context to real-life experiences. In the second phase mothers and children were audio-recorded reading together while the third and fourth phases included video recordings of their shared book-reading sessions. Families were encouraged to read every day and they received bilingual books in the language they were most comfortable with. We allowed approximately two-weeks between phases for families to practice the reading strategies.
Data analysis proceeded through different stages. First, investigators individually listened to the audio recordings and watched the videos to have an overview of how families were reading and record any behaviors observed. Each investigator wrote memos detailing themes and insights about each family. The second stage involved each investigator critically listening to audio and watching videos while coding for the shared book reading strategies modeled. The team then created a full profile for each family that consolidated what was observed.
Results indicated that families adopted many shared book-reading strategies. They scaffolded their children by asking open-ended questions, asking many wh-questions, pointing, and sounding out words, pointing and talking about pictures, expanding on children’s responses, and asking questions that related context in the book to real-life situations (Table 1). Other findings that emerged and that were critical to the reading process included first, the level of confidence, comfort, and engagement and second, language dynamics and communication played a critical role in the reading context; influencing the way families read and incorporated shared book reading strategies (Table 2).
Although Burmese refugee families may meet challenges with reading and communicating due to their backgrounds and limited English language skills, modelling effective reading strategies using bilingual books led to confidence and improved reading for mothers and children. Individuals working with refugee families should promote shared book-reading practices that value the

Authors

• Savannah Bayer, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Rachel Boit, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• Joy Catherine Birabwa, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Linda Hestenes, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Michele Kamau, University Of North Carolina Greensboro