The art of read-aloud, body language and identity construction: A multimodal interactional analysis of interaction between parent, child and picture book

The aim of this study is to explore how different semiotic resources are used and shaped by and within social interaction during read-aloud situations between one parent and two children. The study is based on multimodal interaction analysis and the data is based on six read-aloud occasions with one parent and two children during a period of two weeks. The point of departure is the interaction between the children, the parent and the book, focusing on the semiotic resources the participants use in relation to the reader’s performance and the children’s identity production. The results highlight the impact of the reader and the importance of the reader’s approach and skills. The results also show that when children are asked to take part in conversations and participate on their own terms, the read-aloud occasion can offer a significant arena for children’s identity production.