A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township
Background: Many caregivers from low-middle income (LMI) households consider that preschool children are too young for shared book reading. Thus, many caregivers are unaware of their potentially powerful role in their children’s emergent literacy and communication. Objectives: To describe (1) careg...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2023-01-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Communication Disorders |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://sajcd.org.za/index.php/sajcd/article/view/948 |
| _version_ | 1797937166330888192 |
|---|---|
| author | Tarryn Coetzee Sharon Moonsamy Joanne Neille |
| author_facet | Tarryn Coetzee Sharon Moonsamy Joanne Neille |
| author_sort | Tarryn Coetzee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Many caregivers from low-middle income (LMI) households consider that preschool children are too young for shared book reading. Thus, many caregivers are unaware of their potentially powerful role in their children’s emergent literacy and communication.
Objectives: To describe (1) caregivers’ perceptions of shared reading, (2) caregivers’ perceptions of barriers to shared reading and (3) changes in these perceptions following a short intervention.
Method: A qualitative methodology was used to understand the perceptions of 40 caregivers from a semi-rural South African township. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after intervention. The intervention was a short training video about shared reading.
Results: Caregivers described the unfamiliar reading culture and viewed reading as an educational activity that they knew little about. Barriers to shared reading included lack of time, few reading materials and low levels of literacy or lack of exposure to this type of activity. Following the intervention, they acknowledged the importance of shared reading, described growing confidence in their shared reading abilities and closer relationships with their children.
Conclusion: Speech-language therapists (SLTs) have a pivotal role to play in caregiver training of emergent literacy skills and can make a marked impact in guiding caregivers’ shared reading. A short video-based intervention can alter caregiver perceptions and practices, which may be the first step in changing behaviours.
Contribution: The study provides an example of a simple and cost-effective intervention that changed caregiver perception and caregivers’ reported shared reading practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:41:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2cd8c73a6c2147bab785ef46c00aa662 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0379-8046 2225-4765 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:41:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Communication Disorders |
| spelling | doaj.art-2cd8c73a6c2147bab785ef46c00aa6622023-02-01T13:07:06ZengAOSISSouth African Journal of Communication Disorders0379-80462225-47652023-01-01701e1e910.4102/sajcd.v70i1.948692A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural townshipTarryn Coetzee0Sharon Moonsamy1Joanne Neille2Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgBackground: Many caregivers from low-middle income (LMI) households consider that preschool children are too young for shared book reading. Thus, many caregivers are unaware of their potentially powerful role in their children’s emergent literacy and communication. Objectives: To describe (1) caregivers’ perceptions of shared reading, (2) caregivers’ perceptions of barriers to shared reading and (3) changes in these perceptions following a short intervention. Method: A qualitative methodology was used to understand the perceptions of 40 caregivers from a semi-rural South African township. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after intervention. The intervention was a short training video about shared reading. Results: Caregivers described the unfamiliar reading culture and viewed reading as an educational activity that they knew little about. Barriers to shared reading included lack of time, few reading materials and low levels of literacy or lack of exposure to this type of activity. Following the intervention, they acknowledged the importance of shared reading, described growing confidence in their shared reading abilities and closer relationships with their children. Conclusion: Speech-language therapists (SLTs) have a pivotal role to play in caregiver training of emergent literacy skills and can make a marked impact in guiding caregivers’ shared reading. A short video-based intervention can alter caregiver perceptions and practices, which may be the first step in changing behaviours. Contribution: The study provides an example of a simple and cost-effective intervention that changed caregiver perception and caregivers’ reported shared reading practice.https://sajcd.org.za/index.php/sajcd/article/view/948literacyshared-readingearly interventioncaregiver trainingcaregiver perceptionssouth africaemergent literacy development |
| spellingShingle | Tarryn Coetzee Sharon Moonsamy Joanne Neille A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township South African Journal of Communication Disorders literacy shared-reading early intervention caregiver training caregiver perceptions south africa emergent literacy development |
| title | A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township |
| title_full | A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township |
| title_fullStr | A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township |
| title_full_unstemmed | A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township |
| title_short | A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township |
| title_sort | shared reading intervention changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi rural township |
| topic | literacy shared-reading early intervention caregiver training caregiver perceptions south africa emergent literacy development |
| url | https://sajcd.org.za/index.php/sajcd/article/view/948 |
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