Supporting Preschool Children’s Self-Regulation Skills with Dialogic Book Reading

The study examined the effect of a professional development program concerning dialogic book reading (DBR) on preschool children’s self-regulation skills. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pretests and posttests. Fourteen preschool teachers and 206 children participated in the study. The DBR intervention was tailored to self-regulation by selecting books addressing self-regulation skills and employing DBR strategies focused on self-regulation, making DBR the primary active ingredient influencing children’s self-regulation outcomes. The program was implemented through training sessions and classroom observation, utilizing coaching and scaffolding techniques. Children in the DBR-focused group showed significant gains in self-regulation, whereas no improvements were observed in the group using the same books with traditional reading and in the business-as-usual control group. Research Findings: The study showed that children’s self-regulation skills are unlikely to improve without DBR. Significant improvements were observed in attention and impulse-control skills. By supporting teachers’ understanding and implementation of DBR strategies, the professional development program contributed to improvements in children’s self-regulation abilities. Practice or Policy: These findings highlight the need for integrating DBR coaching into routine teacher training, as equipping teachers with interactive reading strategies–rather than simply providing self-regulation-themed books–may support more consistent promotion of children’s self-regulation in preschool classrooms. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.