Making Dialogic Reading Support More Accessible for Families: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Education Program to Strengthen Caregiver Strategy Use

PURPOSE: This study examined the impact of the Dialogic Reading Education through Accessible Modules (DREAM) program, an asynchronous, online caregiver education program. The primary purpose was to evaluate whether DREAM improved caregivers' knowledge and use of dialogic reading (DR) strategies as well as child utterances and caregiver-child conversational engagement during shared book reading (SBR). METHOD: Forty-two caregiver-child dyads with children aged 3-5 years were randomly assigned to the DREAM group (n = 22) or a waitlist-control group (n = 20). Participating caregivers were primarily highly educated and reported no prior exposure to DR, and most children had typically developing language abilities. DREAM consisted of three 30- to 45-min modules featuring interactive lessons, modeling videos, and reflection activities. Pre- and posteducation assessments measured caregiver DR knowledge and caregiver-child SBR sessions coded for caregiver prompting and responsive behaviors, child utterances, and dyadic conversations. Linear mixed-effects models tested Time × Group effects. RESULTS: Caregivers completing DREAM demonstrated significantly greater gains than controls in DR knowledge (d = 0.76), overall prompting frequency (d = 2.21), and DR-specific prompts (d = 2.65). Post hoc and descriptive analyses also revealed significant but more modest increases in caregiver responsive behaviors such as evaluation, expansion, and repetition. Children in the DREAM group also produced more utterances (d = 1.98) and participated in more frequent conversations (d = 1.87). Caregivers reported high feasibility and acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: DREAM strengthened caregiver knowledge and use of DR prompting strategies, with accompanying improvements in child participation and dyad conversations during SBR. Findings provide preliminary evidence that asynchronous, online caregiver education rooted in adult learning principles can support caregiver behavior change and show promise for strengthening family-centered language interactions. However, additional work is needed to determine how to promote broader uptake of the full range of DR strategies in asynchronous, online formats. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32015064.