The effect of dialogic reading interventions on narrative skills in the preschool period: a systematic review

Introduction Narrative skills in the preschool period serve as a key predictor of children's subsequent reading comprehension and overall academic achievement. This study aims to evaluate the impact of dialogic reading interventions on the narrative macrostructure and causal language skills of preschool-aged children. Methods Following a systematic search of the Web of Science, EBSCO, and ERIC databases, 16 experimental and quasi-experimental studies (total N > 1,800) meeting the PICO-S criteria were included in the meta-analysis. Analysis using a random-effects model was per-formed to determine effect sizes. Results Analysis indicated a statistically significant and positive overall effect of dialogic reading interventions on narrative skills [ g = 0.62, 95% CI (0.44, 0.80)]. Sub-dimension analyses indicated that higher effects occurred in narrative macrostructure ( g = 0.82) and causal language reasoning skills ( g = 0.78). Digital and robotic intervention modalities ( g = 0.88) appeared to yield higher effect sizes than traditional print-based methods, though these findings should be interpreted with caution given the limited number of studies in these modalities. Discussion These findings highlight dialogic reading as a robust pedagogical tool that transforms children into active meaning-makers, with digital modalities offering particularly strong support. The results suggest that integrating interactional, structural, and cognitive scaffolding is essential for fostering comprehensive narrative competence in early childhood.