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The Affordances and Constraints of Supporting Father-Child Shared Reading in the Multilingual Emirates

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: 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.
Source: Languages
DOI: 10.3390/languages10030039
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,689
OpenAlex ID: W4407972902
FWCI: 6.829
Cites: 60
Cited by: 8
Related to: 10