Alexis Smith (adsmith014@gmail.com)

Previous research demonstrates that early reading interactions between parents and their children improves language, literacy, and academic outcomes. Yet, the influence of parent strategies on their children during book-reading interactions is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adult and child interactive reading strategies used during book-reading. Participants included parents of preschool-aged children who consented to participate in a 5-week workshop on interactive book reading. As part of the pre-assessment, parents submitted videos of a reading interaction with their child. These recordings were scored by research assistants using the Adult-Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI), which measures the level of implementation of key interactive reading practices by both adults and children during shared book reading. The inventory includes three main categories of behavior that promote positive outcomes; 1) enhancing attention to text, 2) promoting interactive reading and supporting attention, and 3) using literary strategies. Recordings are currently still being collected for data analysis. Correlations between ACIRI scores for adults and children will be calculated to determine the relationship between the behavior of the adult and the behavior of the child during the book reading. It is hypothesized that the children's usage of interactive reading strategies will positively correlate with those of the adults. Such a correlation would indicate that adult-implemented strategies during book-reading influence the engagement of the child. Encouraging parents to implement interactive reading strategies may lead to increased engagement of their children, especially important for those with language disorders and/or at risk for later literacy problems.