Systematic Replication of the Effects of a Supplementary, Technology-Assisted, Storybook Intervention for Preschool Children with Weak Vocabulary and Comprehension Skills

Abstract

In 2013, Spencer, Goldstein, Sherman, et al. reported the promising effects of a supplemental, technology-assisted, storybook intervention (Tier 2) containing embedded instruction targeting the oral language learning of preschool children at risk for delays. We sought to advance knowledge of the intervention by replicating it in a new sample and examining children’s responses to the narrator’s instructional prompts and associations with learning outcomes. Results indicated that children were highly successful in responding with the narrator’s task-management prompts (i.e., turn the page), particularly after the first book. Children were much less proficient in correctly responding to the narrator’s word-teaching prompts (i.e., “say enormous”), but improved over additional storybooks. Exposure to the intervention accelerated children’s weekly oral language learning, and effect sizes were comparable to those of Spencer et al. Children’s increased word knowledge was positively correlated with their correct responding to the narrator’s word-teaching prompts in particular. Implications for research and practice are discussed.