Digital Exposure, Book Availability, and Maternal Reading Beliefs During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Early exposure to books significantly shapes infants’ language, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. Parental beliefs about reading play a critical role in shaping the quality and frequency of home literacy practices. However, global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted traditional pathways to fostering early literacy, especially by limiting access to baby books. This study investigates the factors influencing Turkish mothers’ reading beliefs about reading to their babies aged 0 to 2 years during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It further explores how book availability, visibility, and social media exposure affected maternal reading beliefs and behaviors. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, quantitative data were collected from 288 mothers via standardized questionnaires and photographic assessments of baby books, supplemented by qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 20 mothers. Analyses examined differences between pandemic and post-pandemic periods and explored relationships between book availability, experiential variables, and maternal reading beliefs. Findings revealed that post-pandemic mothers exhibited stronger reading beliefs compared to those during the pandemic. Increased book visibility, social media exposure, and the establishment of reading routines positively influenced mothers’ engagement in shared book reading. Educational level positively correlated with stronger reading beliefs, whereas the number of children negatively impacted these beliefs. No significant association was found between bookstore visits and reading beliefs. Ensuring the accessibility and visibility of developmentally appropriate baby books, both physically and through digital media, is crucial for reinforcing positive parental reading beliefs, particularly during periods of societal disruption.