





































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 6, No. 2, 2025 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

31 
 

Original Paper 

An Analysis of Influencing Factors of Parent-Child Shared 

Reading of Bilingual Originals in the Era of Digital Intelligence 

Chen Zheng1*, Jinyi Kong2, Lusihang Wang2 & Xiaoyu Xu2 

1 School of English Studies, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China 

2 Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China 

* Chen Zheng, School of English Studies, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China 

 

Received: February 23, 2025   Accepted: March 15, 2025    Online Published: April 3, 2025 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v6n2p31          URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v6n2p31 

 

Abstract 

In the era of digital intelligence, parent-child shared reading of bilingual originals has become an 

important pathway to foster children’s linguistic and cognitive development. However, the understanding 

of the multifaceted factors influencing this practice remains limited. To explore the influencing factors of 

parent-child shared reading of bilingual originals in digital intelligence, this study adopts a 

questionnaire survey method based on theories such as the ecosystem theory and the Input-Process-

Output (IPO) model. The study finds that in the process of digital reading, the parent-child shared reading 

activity is mainly affected by three significant dimensions: parental support, technological media 

characteristics, and children’s commitment. Among them, the variables of parents’ emotional 

communication and cognitive stimulation, digital literacy, and the multimedia features of digital reading 

carriers are particularly significant in enhancing the effect of digital reading, which can further promote 

the development of children’s linguistic expression and social-emotional functions. 

Keywords 

digital intelligence era, parent-child reading, bilingual originals, parental support, digital reading 

effectiveness  

 

1. Introduction 

In the digital intelligence era, parent-child reading is a crucial step for children to establish initial 

interpersonal interactions and develop social skills. In the context of the digital age, children start using 

electronic devices at a very young age, which leads to a decrease in the duration and quality of traditional 

parent-child interactions. According to the critical period hypothesis, 3 - 6 years of age is a crucial stage 

in children’s language development (Johnson & Newport, 1989). If children’s language skills are not 



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guided in time during this period, they will be seriously affected. Currently, the factors influencing 

parent-child co-reading in an electronic device environment are unclear. In addition, previous 

intervention studies have rarely explored the effects of parent-child shared reading mode on children’s 

language expression ability and socio-emotional functioning from the perspective of digital multimedia 

environments. The present study was conducted through a questionnaire survey method. Based on 

relevant theories, its influence on digital reading effectiveness was explored from the dimensions of 

parental support, digital technology-mediated platforms, and children’s input to further enhance 

children’s expressive language ability and socio-emotional functioning. This study provides data support 

for the interactive mechanism of children’s language ability and provides a theoretical basis for 

constructing a high-quality optimization model for young children’s language development in the digital 

era. 

 

2. Model Construction and Research Hypotheses  

2.1 Theoretical Basis  

With the deep integration of digital technology in the field of education and family, the environments and 

forms of parent-child shared reading activities have become increasingly diversified and complex. To 

systematically explore the influencing factors of parent-child shared reading of bilingual texts in the era 

of digital intelligence, this study introduces the ecosystem theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) at the macro 

level, and draws on the input-process-output (IPO) model at the micro level to construct a theoretical 

analysis framework that is both holistic and hierarchical.  

Ecosystem theory emphasizes that an individual’s development is not only influenced by his or her 

internal characteristics but also shaped by the external multi-level environment (Jessica & Jonathan, 

2025). Specifically, children’s development in digital reading environments needs to take into account 

the potential roles of both microsystems (family interactions, parent-child relationships) and external 

systems (technological media platforms, community resources, and socio-cultural environments). In the 

era of digital intelligence, family attitudes toward the use of digital tools, parents’ digital literacy, and the 

media environment at the societal level may have a significant impact on children’s reading engagement 

and development through interactive processes. 

The IPO model provides a logical and clear analytical path to explore the mechanisms of multiple 

influencing factors and children’s reading effectiveness. In the context of this study, “Input” includes the 

dimensions of parental support (emotional communication, positive parenting, frequency, and duration 

of shared reading, and digital literacy), technological media characteristics (multimodal functions, media 

forms), and children’s engagement (reading interest, language ability) (Nation, 1990). In the parent-child 

shared reading activities, the “Process” embodies the interactive process between children and parents 

on the digital reading platform, including the way of shared reading, reading feedback, and the depth of 

parent-child interaction, etc. The “Output” is the children’s digital reading comprehension and mastery, 

as well as the improvement of language expression and social-emotional functioning. 



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2.2 Research Hypotheses  

This study will investigate the factors affecting the effect of parent-child shared reading of bilingual 

original digital reading in terms of the dimensions of parental support, the dimensions of technological 

media characteristics, and the dimensions of children’s input. 

2.2.1 Parental Support  

(1) Emotional Communication and Research Hypotheses  

Emotional communication refers to the process in which parents convey care, empathy, and 

encouragement through verbal or nonverbal means when they interact with their children in reading. 

According to Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1989), positive emotional communication helps to 

create a safe learning atmosphere and enhances children’s concentration and comprehension in digital 

reading (Ngorosho, 2001). At the same time, good emotional communication can also fulfill children’s 

emotional needs and enhance their interest and engagement in reading content. The hypotheses of this 

study:  

H1a: Emotional communication positively affects the effect of digital reading. 

H1b: Emotional communication positively affects children’s verbal expression and social-emotional 

functioning. 

(2) Mindful Parenting Level and Research Hypotheses  

Mindful parenting level emphasizes the ability of parents to remain aware and attentive in the present 

moment while interacting with their children, respecting their children’s feelings, and responding to them 

when appropriate (Duncan et al., 2009). A high level of positive parenting helps parents capture their 

children’s needs promptly in digital reading scenarios, provide personalized guidance and feedback, and 

promote reading effectiveness. The hypotheses of this study:  

H2a: Positive thoughts parenting level positively affects digital reading effectiveness. 

H2b: Positive parenting level positively affects children’s expressive language ability and social-

emotional functioning. 

(3) Frequency and Duration and Research Hypotheses  

Reading frequency and duration refers to the number of times parents and children carry out parent-child 

reading in a certain cycle and the duration of each reading. According to the Input-Output Theory 

(Investment Model), higher reading frequency and more ample reading duration usually imply greater 

parental investment in their children’s learning activities, which enhances the depth and effectiveness of 

digital reading. The hypotheses of this study are:  

H3a: The frequency and duration of parent-child shared reading of bilingual original texts positively 

affects the effectiveness of digital reading. 

H3b: The frequency and duration of parent-child shared reading of bilingual originals positively affects 

children’s expressive language ability and social-emotional functioning. 

(4) Digital Literacy and Research Hypotheses 



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Digital literacy level refers to parents’ proficiency in the use of digital tools, information retrieval and 

evaluation skills, etc. (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004). Parents who have a high level of digital literacy are better 

able to select and integrate high-quality digital resources to provide their children with richer and more 

appropriate reading materials, which in turn promotes digital reading effectiveness. The hypotheses of 

this study:  

H4a: The level of digital literacy positively affects the digital reading effect. 

H4b: The level of digital literacy positively affects children’s language expression ability and social-

emotional functioning. 

2.2.2 Technological Media Characteristics  

(1) Multimodal Function and Research Hypotheses  

Multimodal function refers to the integrated presentation of text, images, audio, video, interactive 

animation, etc., which are possessed by digital reading carriers (Jewitt, 2008). Multimodal functions can 

stimulate children’s multi-sensory participation, improve the fun and immersion of reading, and thus 

enhance the understanding and memory of reading content. The hypotheses of this study:  

H5a: Multimodal functioning positively affects digital reading effectiveness. 

H5b: Multimodal functioning positively affects children’s expressive language ability and social-

emotional functioning. 

(2) Media Form and Research Hypotheses  

Media forms include specific hardware carriers such as tablet computers, smartphones, e-book readers, 

etc., and can also involve emerging technologies such as AR/VR. More convenient and interactive media 

forms can reduce children’s operating difficulty and increase the flexibility of reading, thus improving 

the quality of digital reading. The hypotheses of this study:  

H6a: Media forms positively affect the effect of digital reading. 

H6b: Media forms positively affect children’s expressive language ability and social-emotional 

functioning. 

2.2.3 Children’s Input Dimensions  

(1) Reading Interest and Research Hypotheses  

Reading interest refers to children’s curiosity and positive attitudes toward the reading activity itself 

(Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000). In a digital reading environment, if children have a high interest in the 

content or form of reading, they are more willing to invest time and attention to obtain better reading 

results. The hypotheses of this study:  

H7a: Reading interest positively influences digital reading effectiveness. 

H7b: Reading interest positively affects children’s expressive language ability and social-emotional 

functioning. 

(2) Language Ability and Research Hypotheses  

Language ability, which includes vocabulary, grammatical comprehension, and reading comprehension, 

is the basis for children’s information absorption and expression in digital reading (Vygotsky, 1978). 



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Children with higher language abilities are more likely to acquire knowledge from multimodal reading 

materials and express or transfer it effectively after reading (Richter, Cardoso, & Mervis, 2022). The 

hypotheses of this study:  

H8a: Language proficiency positively affects digital reading effectiveness. 

H8b: Language proficiency positively influences children’s expressive language skills and social-

emotional functioning. 

2.2.4. Effects of Digital Reading  

In this research model, “Effects of digital reading” are not only reflected in the comprehension and 

mastery of reading content but also affect children’s language expression ability and social-emotional 

functioning. It also affects children’s language expression ability and social-emotional function. In other 

words, when the digital reading process is facilitated by parental support, technological media features, 

and children’s engagement, children not only improve their language (e.g., vocabulary, fluency) but also 

develop their social-emotional function (e.g., self-emotional management, empathy) (Sylva et al., 2008). 

In addition, gender, age, parental education, and economic income were added as control variables to the 

model. The model is shown in Figure 1. 

Figure 1. The study model 

 

3. Research Design 

3.1 Variable Measurement  

Based on the combing of the literature, a total of eight major research variables were distilled in this 

study, namely, parents’ effective communication and cognitive stimulation, the level of positive parenting, 

the frequency and duration of parent-child reading of bilingual originals, parents’ digital literacy (e.g., 

technological proficiency and trust in digital tools), the multimedia function of the digital reading carriers, 

media forms, children’s interest in reading, and language proficiency. In terms of scale design, we mainly 



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drew on scales that have been proposed and tested by scholars both at home and abroad, such as the 

Parenting and Family Adjustment Scale (PAFAS), the Wechsler Programme for Young Children’s 

Psychological Intelligence Scale (WPPSI-IV) for assessing verbal intelligence, the Picture Vocabulary 

Test (PPVT) for measuring receptive vocabulary ability, and the Children’s Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 

for evaluating emotional affectivity. In addition to the standardized tests, the scale measures were 

presented in the form of a five-point Likert scale. 

3.2 Sample Collection  

The target group of this study was set to be children aged 3-6 years old and their parents. According to 

the theory of critical period hypothesis, the human brain is highly sensitive and efficient in language 

learning at a specific age, so the group of this study is designated as 3-6 years old. The questionnaire of 

this study is divided into four main parts: basic information of the sample, assessment of parent-child co-

reading frequency and interaction, use of digital tools, and assessment of co-reading effect. The 

questionnaires were distributed and collected through the Questionnaire Star platform and offline, and 

232 questionnaires were finally collected, after screening, the final valid sample was 210. Among the 

210 samples, the age distribution of parents covered different age groups from 18 years old to over 50 

years old, with parents aged 31-35 and 41 years old and above dominating. The coverage of parents’ 

education level and monthly household income was more comprehensive. In addition, the age of the 

children was mainly concentrated in the preschool and school-age groups. These samples are diverse in 

terms of age, educational attainment, and income level, and thus have good representativeness. 

 

4. Data Analysis  

4.1 Descriptive Statistical Analysis  

The basic situation of this sample is as follows: in terms of parents’ age, the sample mainly focuses on 

the levels of 31-35 years old and 41 years old and above, accounting for 28.57% and 27.62% respectively; 

in terms of parents’ education level, 37.14% of the sample has a college degree, and 30.48% has a 

bachelor’s degree or above; in terms of the monthly family income perspective, 37.14% of the samples 

are in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan, and 30.95% of the samples are in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 

yuan. 

4.2 Reliability Analysis  

This study used SPSS 27.0 software for data analysis. The reliability analysis was performed through 

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Validity analysis was tested through KMO value and Bartlett’s sphere test. 

The reliability of the total scale is 0.83 and the reliability of each variable is above 0.7, which indicates 

that the reliability of the questionnaire scale is good. The KMO value of the total scale was 0.962 and the 

KMO value of each variable was above 0.7, which indicates that the validity of the scales is high. Since 

the questionnaire measurement scales used in this study were adapted from scholars’ studies, exploratory 

factor analysis of the questionnaire scales was required, and a total of three common factors were 

extracted, which were consistent with the initial question item settings in the questionnaire, and in total 



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explained 64.7% of the variance, which indicates that the individual scales in this questionnaire have 

good validity. 

4.3 Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Variables  

After analyzing the score means of each variable in this study, it was found that except for the two 

variables of parents’ level of positive parenting and children’s interest in reading, which had score means 

lower than 3.8, the rest of the variables had score means higher than 3.8, which indicated that parents’ 

performances in several other aspects were more positive and adequate, but slightly insufficient in terms 

of their educational concepts and stimulation of children’s interest in reading. The mean values of the 

scores of the variables of parents’ emotional communication and cognitive stimulation, and parents’ 

acceptance of digital tools are particularly prominent. This suggests that the interactive communication 

between parents and children is more adequate during the parent-child reading process, which can 

positively promote children’s thinking development and language expression ability. At the same time, 

parents’ acceptance and use of digital tools also affect the effectiveness of parent-child shared reading to 

a certain extent, which helps to improve children’s vocabulary skills and emotional cognition. 

4.4 Influence of Individual Traits on Variables  

This study further analyzed the influence of parents’ traits (e.g., gender, education, economic income, 

etc.) on the variables using an independent samples t-test. The results showed that female parents scored 

significantly higher (p < 0.05) than male parents in terms of time commitment to parent-child co-reading, 

parental emotional communication, and cognitive stimulation. Parents with higher education (master’s 

degree and above) scored significantly higher than parents with bachelor’s degree and below on 

frequency and duration of parent-child reading of bilingual originals, and parenting concepts. And the 

individual traits of the other samples had no significant effect on the variables. 

4.5 Correlation Analysis among Variables  

In this study, Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis was used to analyze the correlation among 

variables. The data showed that there was a significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) between the 

interactive behaviors during shared reading (e.g., adjusting the pace of reading according to the child’s 

response, encouraging the child to express thoughts and feelings) and the children’s expressive language 

and social-emotional functioning, indicating that these interactive behaviors had a positive impact on the 

development of the children’s language and social-emotional functioning. Significant positive 

correlations (p < 0.01) were found between the frequency of shared reading and the effects of vocabulary 

enhancement, the effects of bilingual switching ability enhancement, the effects of empathy enhancement, 

and the ability to understand the emotions of others, suggesting that the higher the frequency of shared 

reading, the more significant was the enhancement of the children’s linguistic and socio-emotional 

functioning. Parents who perceived digital tools as a necessary complement to children’s language 

learning and who were willing to invest time in learning to use new educational apps had more significant 

(p < 0.01) effects on their children’s enhancement of each competency. More interactive media forms 

and multimodal features can stimulate children’s multisensory engagement and improve their relevant 



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abilities. Children’s interest in reading positively affected the effect of digital co-reading, but did not 

significantly affect the enhancement of children’s language expression and social-emotional functioning. 

The correlation between children’s language ability and parent-child shared reading effect and ability 

enhancement was not significant. In addition, parents’ level of positive parenting did not have a 

significant effect on digital reading effects. H1, H3, H4, H5, H6, and H7a were validated through the 

analysis, whereas the remaining hypotheses were not confirmed. 

 

5. Research Conclusions and Recommendations  

5.1 Diversified Leadership to Enhance the Level of Parent-child Shared Reading Guidance  

Based on the data and analysis results of this study, parents demonstrated strong emotional 

communication and digital tool use abilities during the process of parent-child shared reading, but there 

is still room for improvement in the level of positive parenting and certain interactive guidance strategies. 

It is suggested that parents should not only rely on their strengths in emotional communication and 

cognitive stimulation to flexibly adjust the pace and method of reading according to their children’s 

immediate responses but also take the initiative to participate in digital literacy training, and skillfully 

utilize resources provided by multimodal digital platforms, such as text, images, audio and video, and 

interactive animation. Through the comprehensive use of these diversified leadership measures, parents 

can create a richer and more efficient interactive environment for parent-child co-reading at the emotional 

and technical levels, further enhancing the overall effect of digital reading. 

5.2 Diversified Models to Encourage Children’s Active Participation in Practice  

The research data also show that the degree of children’s active participation in digital reading is closely 

related to the enhancement of their language expression and social-emotional functions. Therefore, to 

build an interactive reading platform in shared reading activities, we can further stimulate children’s 

multi-sensory participation and enthusiasm for expression by designing a variety of forms such as voice 

interaction, situational quizzes, and role-playing; at the same time, parents and educational institutions 

should carry out personalized reading activities, such as role-playing, story continuation, and parent-

child co-creative practice, according to children’s interests and abilities, to make children experience the 

joy of creativity in their participation, and obtain instant feedback mechanisms. This will enable children 

to experience the joy of creation through participation and receive positive incentives with the help of an 

immediate feedback mechanism. Through this diversified practice mode, children’s interest in reading 

and intrinsic motivation can not only be stimulated, but also effectively promote the transformation from 

passive acceptance to active exploration, to realize comprehensive development in language, cognition, 

and social-emotional aspects (Xing, Wei, & Wang, 2022). 

5.3 Diversified Platforms to Empower Digital parent-child Reading Ecology  

The analysis results show that the multimodal function of digital reading platforms helps to enhance the 

effect of parent-child reading. Therefore, the platform can further integrate multimodal functions such as 

text, images, audio and video, and interactive animation to create an intuitive and rich content display 



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form, and also provide quality resources that meet the needs of parents and children according to their 

interests and reading habits promptly with the help of intelligent recommendation and personalized 

customization technology. By building a real-time interaction and feedback mechanism, the platform can 

effectively stimulate children’s enthusiasm for participation and desire for expression, making reading 

activities more attractive and practical. At the same time, digital media platforms can strengthen 

collaboration with educational institutions, parents, and content creators to jointly develop educational 

content that meets children’s cognitive characteristics and developmental needs, and build an open, 

inclusive, and interactive digital reading ecosystem. Such a diversified platform strategy not only 

provides parents with scientific guidance but also creates an immersive and interactive learning 

environment for children, thus enhancing the effect and quality of digital reading on the whole. 

 

6. Conclusion 

This study has analyzed the main influencing factors of parent-child shared reading of bilingual originals 

in the era of digital intelligence, but there are still some shortcomings in this study. Future research can 

further examine the moderating and mediating roles of variables such as parents’ positive parenting, 

children’s reading interest, and language proficiency in different contexts, and explore the reasons for 

their failure to have a significant direct effect. Given that the sample of this study mainly focused on the 

group of children aged 3 to 6, subsequent studies may consider samples of different ages, family 

backgrounds, and regions, and adopt longitudinal follow-up and experimental designs to more 

comprehensively verify the mechanisms of the variables in digital reading. 

 

Funding 

This paper is supported by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project of Xi’an International Studies 

University (Project Number: 202410724013). 

 

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