What Shared Reading Can Do: a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Shared reading is a relatively new type of reading intervention which aims to improve the wellbeing of participants by reading literary texts, mostly in non-educational settings. In order to find out whether shared reading can live up to its aims, we present and synthesize the existing scholarship on the effects of shared reading. To this end we have selected all the available studies up till 2024. The rapidly developing research into shared reading, which uses various theoretical perspectives and methodologies across disciplines, points towards impacts that we discuss as three interrelated aspects: emotional engagement, acquaintance with new perspectives, and the establishment of social connections and collaborative practices. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the various research methods used in scholarship on shared reading, and point to the potential of shared reading in the context of education.