Shared reading of children's interactive picture books

We report on a study of children and parents shared reading of interactive printed books. We investigated the differences between books with interactive features and books with expressive typography in order to evaluate which features within a book encouraged interaction between the reading participants and the book. 11 parent and child groups took part in the study that involved three observed reading sessions. From our observations we offer suggestions for the development of books and eBooks to encourage shared reading practices

Serious Play, Serious Problems: issues with eBook applications

This paper is an investigation into the accessibility of emerging interactive, multi-touch narratives, which are designed and developed to be used on Apples iPad device. Universal access to technology culturally, physically, mentally and socially is vital to the ethical and moral sustainability of society. The importance of this is particularly vital to the development of a childs development of basic literacy, numeracy and reading skills, as technology becomes a predominant mode in their lives. Narratives designed and developed for the iPad device offer a multimodal, interactive environment of text, image, sound, animation and touch; yet they render the accessibility tools and functions, embedded within the iPad for users with disabilities, useless. Whilst some narratives counter this in a variety of ways in their design, there are still major areas where the concept of universal access for all is neglected, leaving a significant portion of users in the dar

The Effect of eBook Reading on Overall Literacy Development

This study examined the effect of eBook reading, in contrast to traditional print reading, on developing overall literacy in lower elementary school students. It focused on student motivation, phoneme awareness, word recognition, and comprehension as they pertain to student achievement. This research study is important since it investigated a unique way to implement technology to assist both early and struggling readers. The study was designed to examine the effect of using an eBook application (Raz-Kids) instead of the traditional reading curriculum to engage the students through the interactive activities. The study involved 106 lower elementary school students in a private, Christian school with 96 students completing all assessments required for the quasi-experimental static-group comparison research design. This research study used the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey and the STAR Reading Enterprise assessment to evaluate student progress after incorporating the Raz-Kids application into their current reading program for a six-week period. A MANOVA was used to analyze all of the research data pertaining to motivation to read as it pertained to academic and recreational reading, phoneme awareness, word recognition, and student comprehension. The analysis indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference between the scores of students who participated in the treatment group and those in the control group. Data was collected through these assessments and analyzed using SPSS statistical software

Identifying eBook Pedagogies for Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements with eBooks are identified? What does the body of research recommend as the technological instructional pedagogies and knowledge needed by educators to meet the diverse needs of K-6 students as they engage with eBooks to develop digital literacy skills and competencies? The conceptual frameworks were the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) model. TPACK provided the rationale to develop a body of pedagogical knowledge. The TIM model provided the tools to identify when and how eBooks were integrated, the TPK educators need to build self-efficacy towards and value of eBook integration. Qualitative content analysis provided the rigor and structure to narrow the field of research, select relevant text for analysis, and identify why eBook integration is of value. The analysis reported eBooks have been integrated with the components of a balanced approach to literacy instruction and across a range of learning environments and levels of technology integration as defined by the TIM model. Three connected themes emerged: eBooks have a positive effect in building and sustaining reading motivation and engagement. This leads to literacy growth and development. The catalysts for much of these changes was the integrative tools and features embedded within the eBooks

Reading habits in the digital age: marketing strategies to promote reading among children and young adults

Reading is a form of active learning, and cultivation of reading habits is vital for every child and young adult. However, according to the world’s most in-depth and trustworthy indicator of students’ abilities, PISA, reading skills among youngsters are barely improving. The project aims to deliver answers to the questions: what is the overall state of the reading habits of European children and young adults?; how is reading encouraged and promoted to children and young adults in the digital age?; what marketing and advertising strategies and initiatives are being introduced and practiced in Europe to encourage and promote reading among children and young adults?. To follow this aim we propose a survey overview on children’s and young adult’s reading habits and attitudes; bibliographical review of previous research on the topic of reading promotion, positive practices and marketing strategies; and a questionnaire survey, conducted among European organizations, involved in book and reading promotion. By observing the gathered data, we were able to conclude that reading habits and attitudes of children and young adults are predetermined at a very young age. The most important influencing factors that we examined were the active home literacy environment with access to books and literacy materials at an early age; the application of the reading aloud practice, starting at infancy; the kindergarten and school environment. What is more, we concluded that all adults, participating in children’s lives: parents; relatives; educators; librarians; social media influencers are role models with a strong influence on the shaping of the attitudes of youngsters towards reading.Ler é uma forma de aprendizagem ativa e o cultivo de hábitos de leitura é vital para todas as crianças e jovens adultos. No entanto, de acordo com o indicador mais aprofundado e confiável do mundo sobre as competências dos alunos, o PISA, as competências de leitura entre os jovens não estão a melhorar. Este projecto tem como objetivo dar resposta às seguintes questões: qual é o estado geral dos hábitos de leitura das crianças e jovens europeus ?; como a leitura é incentivada e promovida para crianças e jovens na era digital ?; que estratégias e iniciativas de marketing e publicidade estão a ser introduzidas e praticadas na Europa para encorajar e promover a leitura entre crianças e jovens adultos ?. Para cumprir este objetivo, propomos uma pesquisa geral sobre os hábitos e atitudes de leitura de crianças e jovens adultos; uma revisão bibliográfica de pesquisas anteriores sobre o tema promoção da leitura, práticas positivas e estratégias de marketing; e um inquérito por questionário, realizado entre organizações europeias envolvidas na promoção do livro e da leitura. Pela observação dos dados recolhidos, podemos concluir que os hábitos de leitura e as atitudes de crianças e adultos jovens são pré-determinados numa idade muito jovem. Os fatores de influência mais importantes que examinamos foram o ambiente ativo de alfabetização domiciliária com acesso a livros e materiais de alfabetização desde a infância; a aplicação da prática da leitura em voz alta, desde a infância; o jardim de infância e o ambiente escolar. Além disso, concluímos que todos os adultos, participando na vida das crianças: pais; parentes; educadores; bibliotecários; os influenciadores das redes sociais são modelos de comportamento com forte influência na formação das atitudes dos jovens em relação à leitura

eBooks and Print Books Can Have Different Affects on Literacy Comprehension

This study focused on answering the question of which literacy tool would promote literacy more, electronic books or print books. The new literacies theory implies that teachers implement technology into their classrooms so that students can navigate through the 21st century. This study was conducted to see if eBooks could help students reading comprehension skills improve. Six students were chosen to test reading retell comprehension after interacting with an eBook’s enhanced features. When testing students reading retell comprehension with print books, students read aloud for a pre-reading assessment. It was found that eBooks contain engaging reading features that help students improve reading comprehension. Multiple implications will help teachers improve their curriculum with the use of eBooks along with professional development

Motivation to Read: A Study of Three Primary Age Students

Reading motivation encourages students to practice reading skills and advance their abilities. The primary years is the start to learning to read and has importance. Using 3 primary age students, a case study was conducted to discover personal reading motivation. Participants completed an attitude survey on reading, answered 10 interview questions about their motivation to read, and participated in several reading activities such as eBooks, hard covered books, short stories, listening to stories, and interacting with print. Results suggested primary age students are motivated by self-selection of literature of interest, guidance from teachers and adults with reading skills, having personal confidence in their reading ability, and extrinsic factors. Implications of these results are conversed in the repor

Mobile Books: Effect of Engagement on Students’ Motivation and Cognitive Strategy Use

This mixed methods research explores the role of reading engagement in 30 grade 1 students’ motivation to read mobile electronic storybooks (eBooks) and cognitive strategies used during eBook reading. Data collection comprised motivation and parent questionnaires, behavioural observation checklists, cognitive strategies rubric, and teacher interviews. Students’ emotional engagement with and enjoyment of mobile eBooks corresponded to 4 motivational aspects of intrinsic motivation: curiosity, control, choice, and challenge. Post-intervention results indicated that most student participants enjoyed answering eBook comprehension questions and preferred eBooks to print books; by the end of the study, all had access to a mobile device at home. A majority of participants were actively engaged during mobile eBook reading sessions and persisted in answering embedded eBook comprehension questions, which together reflected students’ behavioural engagement and time-on-task during mobile reading. Students’ off-task behaviours related to iPads’ accessibility features and inherent reader-friendliness. All participants successfully answered evaluative questions requiring them to activate prior knowledge, and experienced higher levels of difficulty with making personal connections. The study highlights the importance of making school-based literacy practices relevant to students’ outside worlds, and discusses implications for teacher educators, administrators, curriculum developers, and eBook and other digital developers concerning the need for greater collaboration in order to more closely align technology resources with national curriculum expectations