The Affordances and Constraints of Supporting Father-Child Shared Reading in the Multilingual Emirates
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5899799 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kay Gallagher (0000-0002-0799-3485, Emirates College for Advanced Education, corresponding author), Anna Marie Dillon (Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi 126662, United Arab Emirates), Anna Dillon (0000-0002-8213-1295, Emirates College for Advanced Education), Claudine Habak (0000-0003-4167-3474, Emirates College for Advanced Education), Sumaya Saqr (0000-0003-0295-533X, Emirates College for Advanced Education), Yahia Alramamneh (0000-0001-7184-441X, Emirates College for Advanced Education) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 39 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Languages (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/languages10030039 |
| OpenAlex | W4407972902 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 55 |
This paper reports on the affordances and constraints encountered in the case of an innovative project designed to support early literacy development in Arabic and English while enhancing father-child wellbeing in Abu Dhabi. The project sought to encourage Emirati fathers to engage in interactive shared book reading at home with their young children. In a context where adult-child home reading is not a traditional practice and where children's reading proficiency in public schools is often below international standards, the project sought to support families with their children's early literacy development and to develop positive dispositions towards reading. Fathers (N = 80) of kindergarten children (4-5 years) in state schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were invited to participate in interactive workshops about shared parent-child reading. Fathers were provided with selected, high-quality books in both Arabic and English to read aloud with their children at home and were given guidance on ways to read interactively. In this paper, which draws upon survey results, focus group recordings, and researcher field notes from the workshop sites, the affordances and constraints encountered in supporting early home reading and parent-child wellbeing are explored. Recommendations are made for similar reading and wellbeing programs in multilingual contexts. These include providing accessible information to both fathers and mothers on the importance of reading with their children at home, sharing tips and modelling parent-child interactive reading, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate books for families
Affordance · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Linguistics · Reading (process · Communication · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |