Martine van der Pluijm

47 Activities and strategies – a review of empirical interventions Shared reading We discuss the results of the dialogic reading and story reading interventions separately related to Tables 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3. Dialogic reading Two of the four dialogic reading studies directed at lower-educated parents reported positive effects on oral language development. These two studies used measures of Spanish (first language) word production and turn-taking, small samples, and no control conditions. One study exclusively directed at lower-educated parents showed negative results for Spanish (L1) word production. The modes of delivery of the four studies directed at lower-educated parents were quite intensive, and more additional coaching activities were included to tailor the intervention compared to the three studies with more heterogeneous samples. Three studies included parents with higher education levels, and all three reported positive effects. Researchers were involved in parent coaching in all dialogic reading studies. Story reading Two story reading studies (mainly) directed at lower-educated parents reported positive effects on oral language skills in L2. Both studies used oral language strategies, but each had a different focus. One used specific strategies aimed at strengthening decontextualized language, a central aspect that is related to both reading ability and classroom participation. The other used a specific strategy aimed at helping parents to interact with their child to combined with a responsive communication strategy. Both studies used intensive forms of coaching to tailor the delivery of the intervention. Three studies were directed at heterogeneous groups of parents. Two of these combined print and code awareness strategies with oral language and responsive communication strategies and used comparable forms of parent coaching similar to those in the studies directed at lower-educated parents. One study used oral language strategies only and only few delivery activities. All three studies directed at heterogeneous groups reported positive effects on immediate posttests. However, two of these studies reported no positive effects of delayed posttests. Researchers were involved in parent coaching in all studies but one, which involved teachers. Other home activities Seven of the eleven studies directed at lower-educated parents reported significant positive effects on oral language development. Five of these seven studies used talk and play activities that were adapted to the families’ home environment. All these studies had control conditions, and three used randomization. Reported effects varied from small to medium. These studies all emphasized the use of oral language and responsive communication strategies. The other two studies that reported positive effects used a combination of talk and play and read and