Mother—child shared reading with print and digital texts

The purpose of this study was to (1) compare mother—child interactions in three contexts: shared reading with a book in a traditional print format, with an electronic book in a CD-ROM format, and with an electronic book in a video clip format; (2) compare mother—child interactions with a three-year-old and a seven-year-old; and (3) compare children's extra-textual talk during the shared readings. Results indicated mother—child interactions differed in the contexts, with more complex talk evident in the electronic texts. There were differences in mother—child interactions with the two children that seemed contingent on the child's age and experiences. Finally, children's extra-textual talk differed depending on their ages, and these seemed to be context specific.