LOS BENEFICIOS DE LA LECTURA COMPARTIDA DE LIBROS: BREVE REVISIÓN (THE BENEFITS OF SHARED BOOK READING: A BRIEF REVIEW)

• Published in: Educación XX1 2015-01, Vol.18 (1), p.303-324
• Main Authors: Iraola, Edurne Goikoetxea, Pereña, Naroa Martínez
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; spa
• Subjects: Childrens literature; Language Acquisition; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading comprehension
• ISSN: 1139-613X; 2174-5374

The shared reading of illustrated children's books refers to when an adult reads aloud to a child, usually a pre-reader. This activity is one of the child-rearing practices considered in sociological and economic studies on parental investment and educational achievement. The purpose of this study is to review the benefits of shared reading and describe possible reasons for these benefits. The research carried out with children of different social classes and language development levels has shown that shared reading has important direct effects on the development of oral language and familiarity with written language, and indirect effects on pre-literacy and learning to read. The main models for interaction during shared reading are presented: dialogic reading and reading written material with emphasis. The study also analyzes the characteristics of shared reading that best explain its benefits, such as the fact that it is a routine activity, the rich vocabulary of the books, the style of interaction between the adult and the child, the emotional experience it produces and the exposure to written text. Finally, some educational implications are discussed, including orientations about the frequency of the shared reading, the age of initiation, the characteristics of the books, the role of practice, and models of interaction between the adult and the child for the optimum use of this valuable activity for children's linguistic development in pre-literacy and later reading achievement.