“LET’S READ TOGETHER”: SHARED PICTURE BOOK READING, CHILDREN’S EMOTIONAL COMPREHENSION AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP, A CASE STUDY WITH A GROUP OF NURSES IN MACAU

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of parents engaging in
dialogic reading with their children while reading picture books on children's emotional
understanding and parent-child relationships. The study also attempted to investigate
the potential of picture books as useful instruments for parent-child communication,
fostering meaningful parent-child connection and augmenting children's emotional
comprehension. The study lasted for 11 weeks. The initial three weeks were focused on
a parent-child reading session specifically designed for mothers, and the next eight
weeks consisted of a picture book reading program in the participants' homes.
Convenience sampling was employed to choose 11 families for participation in the
study. Throughout the 8-week reading program, families actively participated in parent-child
picture book reading sessions at home, ensuring a minimum frequency of once
per week.
The study used a combination of multiple case studies and a case study-mixed
methods design. The data collection process involved gathering quantitative data
through various means, including administering primary background surveys, utilizing
the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS), and employing the Children’s Emotional
Development Scale. The qualitative data consisted of interviews conducted before the
intervention and records documenting parental reading observations. The analysis
methodologies used in this study encompassed thematic and content analysis, which
involved combining qualitative and quantitative findings to facilitate comparison. The
quantitative data analysis of the Child Emotional Development Scale revealed notable
disparities in emotional cognition, comprehension, expression, and overall emotional
competence scores between the initial and final examinations. Although the CPRS
results did not reveal any notable disparities in family intimacy and conflict; it is worth
noting that seven families had higher post-test scores in family intimacy, indicating that
mothers perceived an improved level of closeness with their children. Qualitative data
analysis revealed that through shared reading of picture books on various emotional
themes, children learned more emotional vocabulary and engaged in deeper parent-child
conversations beyond daily interactions. This increased children's opportunities
for emotional expression and helped mothers better understand their children's
emotional needs, reflect on their parenting skills, and foster parent-child interaction and
communication.
In conclusion, this study demonstrated the significant impact of engaging in
dialogic parent-child picture book reading on emotional understanding in preschool
children. Furthermore, it is believed to be a valuable parent-child interaction strategy
for dual-income families in Macau, enhancing parent-child relationships.