LAUSR

ABSTRACT Many families use video chat to sustain relationships between children and distanced family members, such as grandparents. However, little is known about the nature of these interactions. Could grandparent-grandchild video chat provide not only opportunities for meaningful social interaction but act as a source of high-quality linguistic experiences? High-quality language experiences that include question-asking and distancing prompts has shown to support children’s language and subsequent academic success. The current study asks whether grandparents and grandchildren produce high-quality language (e.g. questions and distancing prompts) with each other as they engage with media (watching a video and series of pictures) through video chat. Forty-three grandparents (23% male) and their grandchildren between the ages of 48- to 72-months (grandchildren 42% male, 91% White) participated in a one-time video chat session with both these activities. Results revealed that grandparents were eager conversational participants, primarily using statements and questions when interacting with their grandchildren instead of directing grandchildren’s behavior and attention. Grandparents facilitated dialogic interactions using distancing prompts 26% of the time and tended to open these bouts through question-asking. Findings suggest that including videos and pictures during video chat may promote rich interactions between grandparents and grandchildren. Impact Summary Prior State of Knowledge: Many families use video chat to develop and maintain relationships between children and their grandparents. However, little is known about the linguistic input that occurs during grandparent-grandchild video chat interactions. Novel Contributions: Results revealed grandparents primarily used statements and questions when interacting with their grandchildren over video chat. Additionally, grandparents and grandchildren engaged in dialogic interactions about 26% of the time. Practical Implications: Findings have potential implications for supporting children’s language skills by encouraging them to connect with distant loved ones.