Exploring the Direct and Indirect Relations of E-Book Narration and Bilingual Parent–Child Talk to Children's Learning Outcomes in EFL Shared Reading

Abstract

E-books, powered by multimedia and interactive features, are widely used to support young children's language and literacy development. This study examines the relations of e-book narration and bilingual parent–child talk to children's learning during shared reading. Data from 121 English learners in China and their parents were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that e-book narration, powered by multimedia features, indirectly predicts children's learning outcomes through parent and child talk in English. Specifically, parent talk in English fully mediated the relationship between e-book narration and children's English vocabulary gains, while parent and child talk in English mediated the association between e-book narration and story comprehension and retelling. In contrast, parent–child talk in Chinese did not predict any learning outcomes. Video transcript analysis showed that off-topic talk was more prevalent in Chinese than in English, particularly among children. These findings have implications for app designers, parents, and researchers, emphasizing the importance of parental support in shared e-book reading and shedding light on the e-book design for children reading in a foreign language.