Mothers' Sensitivity and Book-reading Interactions with First Graders

Research Findings: This study expands on previous research (Bus & van Ijzendoorn, 1988 Bus, A. G. and van Ijzendoorn, M. H. 1988. Mother–child interactions, attachment, and emergent literacy: A cross-sectional study. Child Development, 59: 1262–1273. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1992 Bus, A. G. and van Ijzendoorn, M. H. 1992. Patterns of attachment in frequently and infrequently reading mother–child dyads. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153: 395–403. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1997 Bus, A. G., Belsky, J., van Ijzendoorn, M. H. and Crnic, K. 1997. Attachment and bookreading patterns: A study of mothers, fathers, and their toddlers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12: 81–98. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) establishing an association between the quality of mother–child interactions and reading behavior during a joint book-reading task. In a sample of 58 mother–child pairs, the quality of the relationship between mothers and their children at 36 months old predicted the amount and quality of literacy information shared during a joint book-reading task in 1st grade. Other variables related to reading behavior were also examined but were found to be less predictive than maternal sensitive responding. Practice or Policy: Learning to read is a complex social phenomenon that involves more than the mastery of isolated academic skills. This study supports the idea that early literacy emerges in part from a relational system involving caregiver–child interactions that have properties not directly involving print. The importance of examining the quality of the relationships between caregivers and their children when supporting reading-related pursuits is discussed.