%0 Journal Article
%T Effectiveness of a community-led shared book reading intervention in Syrian refugee children: a randomised controlled trial.
%A Hadfield K
%A Al-Hamad M
%A Dajani R
%A El Kharouf A
%A Michalek J
%A Qtaishat L
%A von Stumm S
%A Mareschal I
%J Sci Rep
%V 14
%N 1
%D 2024 08 1
%M 39090188
%F 4.996
%R 10.1038/s41598-024-68903-9
%X Community-led, shared book reading programs may help improve refugee children's reading abilities and attitudes towards reading. We Love Reading (WLR)-a light-touch, community-led, shared book reading program-was evaluated in a pre-registered, wait-listed, randomised controlled trial (AEARCTR-0006523). 322 Syrian refugee mother-child dyads (children: 4-8-year-olds, 50.0% female) in Jordan were tested at two timepoints, 15 weeks apart. WLR did not significantly affect child literacy or child-reported child attitudes toward reading (ps > 0.05). Mothers did report improved child attitudes toward reading from WLR (p = 0.046, η2 = 0.013). The intervention did not lead to improvements in family relationships (ps > 0.05). WLR may have promise in improving attitudes toward reading in forcibly displaced children but did not affect literacy or child-reported attitudes toward reading; these results provide insight into what changes are needed for effective shared book reading interventions in this population.