Bookstart Around the World 1
Bookstart Around the World 5. Concluding reflecti
ons It can be established that the bookgifting programmes described in this study are effective in promoting literacy activities in the families involved. A number of impact assessments and other studies show that the programmes tend to be effective and can support families of all backgrounds, but especially groups with poorer socioeconomic circumstances. Furthermore, evaluations and qualitative studies show that there are some important observations that are key to succeeding in reaching out with Bookstart’s message and assignment to promote funfilled, languagestimulating activities in families. Repeated meetings as part of building a trusting relationship with Bookstart practitioners is an important example of these. The following table summarises the main observations from this overview, according to the areas described in chapter four: Area Home language environment Language development in children Designing effective bookgifting programmes Main observations Bookgifting programmes have a positive effect on the home environment and contribute to altering the attitudes of caregivers and children towards reading, as well as helping to increase the priority of reading aloud and literacy activities in the home. A positive impact has been demonstrated in the language development of children who have benefited from bookgifting programmes. This language development takes place through ‘snowball effects’ or ‘dose-effects’; i.e., that increased literacy stimulus leads to improved circumstances for language development. Build trusting relationships through (preferably repeated) personal meetings between Bookstart representatives and families is important in order for the programme to be effective. Work to support parents to improve the quality of their reading sessions according to proven methods, such as ‘dialogue reading’. At the same time, it is important to maintain the essence of Bookstart (promoting reading pleasure, imagination and language and literacy development). It is important that local bookgifting programmes have the right conditions for implementing the projects in terms of resources and time. General or targeted interventions? Bookgifting programmes in relation to various organisations Collaboration and circumstances General bookgifting programmes can in some cases have difficulty reaching out to families with the greatest need. Targeted programmes can support families in need of support in their children’s language development. The programmes show promise in being able to support development in both the child’s mother tongue and other languages. There are indications showing that professions and organisations can benefit from bookgifting programmes through increased training. There is nothing indicating that bookgifting programmes would be a poor investment for the organisations. There is limited research on collaboration in promoting reading early on. Bookstart grows largely from the grassroots level, and the skills of the various professions involved are important complements to efforts for promoting reading. Preschool and participation There is potential for improvement in how preschools in Sweden work to promote reading with young children. A common way that preschools work to reach families is by using cloakroom libraries. There is great potential in developing the way that preschools work with children’s and parents’ participation in efforts to promote language. Knowledge gaps and challenges Longitudinal studies are in short supply in the study of bookgifting programmes. The few that exist indicate that the effects shown in other studies seem to persist. There is also a desire to investigate the impact of these programmes on socioemotional aspects amongst children. There are some indications that the programmes may promote such development. There are challenges in measuring the effects of Bookstart. It is important to not only focus on measuring the impact. Qualitative studies are also needed in order to understand the impact of efforts to promote reading. The various bookgifting models tend to place different emphasis on different activities, which all have advantages and disadvantages. With the Swedish situation and context in mind, this overview contains 37/52