Research: Research Summary

The Needlman study at Boston Medical Center first suggested that giving books to families, along with anticipatory guidance about the importance of reading aloud, had a significant effect on parental beliefs, behavior, and attitudes towards reading. Subsequent studies supported that finding, suggesting that pediatric primary care providers had a unique opportunity to encourage the development of emergent literacy and language skills in the population studied.

Needlman, American Journal of Diseases in Children, 1991, Boston, MA
Parents who had been given a children's book during a previous visit were four times more likely to report looking at books with their children or that looking at books was a favorite activity. This study was the first to suggest that the pediatric primary care clinic can serve as an effective site for interventions to enrich children's early literacy development, particularly for those at greatest risk for school failure.

High, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,1998, Providence, RI
When comparing parents in a clinic before ROR was instituted, versus after, there was approximately a four times increase in literacy orientation (reading aloud as a favorite activity; as a regular bedtime activity; or reading aloud more than 3x/week) in the "after" group.

Golova, Pediatrics, 1998, Providence, RI
Hispanic families were randomly chosen to either receive books and guidance (ROR) or standard pediatric care, and were surveyed after 10 weeks. For those receiving ROR, there was a 10 times increase in parents reading aloud more than or equal to 3 nights/week, and large, statistically-significant increases in mentioning reading as one of 3 most favorite things to do with their children.

High, Pediatrics, 2000, Providence, RI
A group of parents randomly chosen to receive ROR had significantly higher literacy orientation compared to a control group that received usual care. Among children 18 months and older, there were also significant increases in language scores using a modified standard language assessment for both speaking and understanding.

Sanders, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2000, Palo Alto, CA
Among Spanish speaking, immigrant families, those who had been exposed to ROR reported a doubling in the rate of frequent book sharing, defined as reading aloud 3 or more days per week.

Jones, Clinical Pediatrics, 2000, Louisville, KY
Parents given books and guidance were twice as likely to report reading aloud as a favorite activity, and rated the pediatrician as significantly more "helpful" than did a comparison group of parents.

Mendelsohn, Pediatrics, 2001, NY
In a comparison of one urban clinic with ROR, and one without it, reading aloud by parents and children's book ownership were significantly higher in the ROR clinic. Scores on standardized vocabulary tests were significantly higher in the ROR clinic 8.6 points higher for receptive language (understanding) and 4.3 points higher for expressive (naming), both large, meaningful effects.

Sharif, Journal of the National Medical Association, 2002, NY
In a comparison between two similar urban clinics, one with ROR for 3 years and one with ROR for 3 months, the results included: receptive vocabulary (One-Word Picture Vocabulary Tests) higher at the ROR site, and parents scored higher on the STIM-Q reading section (more frequent reading aloud, more book ownership) and on the Literacy Orientation questions (book as favorite activity, and bedtime activity).

Silverstein, Pediatrics, 2002, Seattle, WA
This study examined ROR's effectiveness among non-English speaking families in a Seattle pediatrics clinic. Using a pre-/post- design, the study showed improved self-reports of home reading attitudes and practices among both English and non-English speaking families given English language books as part of the ROR intervention.

Weitzman, Pediatrics, 2004, New Haven, CT
Families with children 18-30 months were studied with waiting room interviews and home visits to determine the effect of ROR. ROR was found to contribute positively to a child's home literacy environment and more frequent ROR encounters had a greater impact.

Needlman, Ambulatory Pediatrics, 2005, Cleveland, OH
In a national sample (multi-site evidence from 19 clinical sites in 10 states) of parents of children age 6-72 months, implementation of ROR programs was associated with increased parental support for reading aloud.

To download the ROR Research Summary click here. Get Adobe Acrobat Reader.