Meaning of storytelling in volunteers' experiences at Pabukon Ngadongeng Community Reading Park

The Pabukon Ngadongeng Community Reading Park is a library that has storytelling services to enhance children's literacy and cultural knowledge. Volunteers assisted the Community Reading Park to develop children's creativity and imagination with stories. This research aimed to determine the meaning of storytelling among volunteers at the Pabukon Ngadongeng Community Reading Park by analyzing the experience and meaning of storytelling. The research method used qualitative with a phenomenology approach. The study result showed that the experience of storytelling for volunteers consisted of expanding children's story reading, interaction with readers, language development, cultivating imagination, creativity, entertainment, and sharing knowledge. The meaning of storytelling in the volunteers consisted of volunteers' motivation, the impact of storytelling on volunteers, the impact of storytelling on the relationship with readers, contributions of storytelling to volunteers' personal development, and the involvement of volunteers in the development of the Community Reading Park. It also included challenges and obstacles faced by volunteers in storytelling, volunteers' perception of the impact of storytelling on children's education and literacy, meaningful storytelling, teaching without preaching and preserving cultural stories. In conclusion, volunteers have assisted Pabukon Ngadongeng Community Reading Park with storytelling services for children. Children have imagination and creativity, and their language development improves. Volunteers provide fun learning experiences for children through storytelling, including practicing reading and writing literacy programs for children

Guidelines for digital storytelling for Arab children

Children are getting more exposed to various technologies in teaching-learning. Various types of teaching-learning have been designed, including interactive digital storytelling. In Malaysia, local children have been clear about story-based learning materials. However, the situation is a little bit different with Arab children. Because the number of Arab children migrating into Malaysia is increasing, for following their parents who are studying at higher levels, they have to also make themselves familiar with the local scenario. In accordance, this study is initiates, to identify their acceptance towards story-based learning materials, or specifically interactive digital storytelling. Hence, this study reacts proactively, by approaching Arab children asking for their feedback on whether they have any desire for interactive digital storytelling. Through a series of interviews, this study found that they have a strong desire and tendency. Then, the following objectives have been stated: (1) to determine the components for the interactive digital storytelling for Arab children, (2) to design and develop a prototype of the interactive digital storytelling, and (3) to observe on how the Arab children experience the interactive digital storytelling. User-centered design (UCD) approach has been gone through in ensuring that the objectives are achieved. The process of determining the components for the interactive digital storytelling was carried out by directly involving Arab children and their teachers from three preschools in Changlun and Sintok. It was similar with the efforts in determining the contents, and interface design until the prototype development. Having the prototype ready, user testing was carried out to explore the way Arab children experience the prototype. All the processes involved various techniques through observation, interviews, and noting. Specifically, the user testing involved qualitative and empirical data. Qualitative data were gathered through observation, meanwhile the empirical data were gathered using Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) tool. In the end, having data processed, the findings show that Arab children are highly satisfied with the prototype. Scientifically, the developed prototype is a mirror of the obtained guidelines, obtained through the UCD seminars. Hence, the positive acceptance on the prototype reflects positive acceptance on the guidelines, as the main contribution of this study. Besides the guidelines as the main contribution of this study, the developed prototype is also a wonderful contribution to the Arab children and their teacher. They will be using it as part of their teaching and learning material

“Why Has She Stopped Reading?” The Case for Supporting Reading for Pleasure in Secondary Schools.

The aim of this study was to investigate why some children, who engage in reading for pleasure at primary school, stop reading once they have transitioned to secondary school. The study followed eight students from their last term of Year 6 primary education (10 to 11 year-olds) through to the end of their first term of Year 8 secondary education (12 to 13 year-olds). In this ethnographic interpretivist study I used a variety of methods including: observation, questionnaires and group conversations to discover the reasons why some students engage in less reading for pleasure once they begin their secondary school education. I employed thematic analysis to allow flexibility to my research and to provide a detailed and rich account. Some of the eight students involved in this study dramatically reduced the amount of reading which they engaged in and some continued to spend a similar amount of time engaging in reading for pleasure. Some students continued with familiar, safe, readerly texts and some students branched out to explore new genres and text types. This study provides insight into how the child as a reader changes once they move to secondary school and identifies what teachers need to know about the child to be able to facilitate reading for pleasure. New Year 7 students are concerned about perceived negative peer perceptions of readers and suggestions are made about the ways in which teachers and librarians can work with students to encourage reading for pleasure. A key finding of this study was that a precise understanding of Year 7 students as readers by secondary school English teachers is required for them to be able to facilitate students’ reading for pleasure. Suggestions are offered about how teachers can gain a greater understanding of their students as readers and suggestions are also offered about how to develop the child as a reader

A conceptual view of ICT in a socio-constructivist classroom

The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the classroom has brought about exciting opportunities for understanding and reasoning about teaching and learning within a technology-empowered environment. This paper first places ICTs in the classroom within the context of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). It then proceeds to present a conceptualisation of a school classroom in the context of the social constructivism theory and thereafter, overlays the presence of ICTs in the classroom as a function of this conceptualisation. Social constructivism is a learning theory that views learning and human development from a social interaction point of view, underpinned by the cognitive framework under which learners learn. We argue that framing the presence of ICTs within the said conceptualisation will enable for a better understanding of the impact ICTs have in the development of learners’ cognitive activity within a classroom setup. Ultimately, as part of ongoing research and amongst other objectives, we aim to develop some insights and methodologies that could be used to positively influence mindsets around the use of ICTs in the classroom to transcend developmental boundaries

The Impact of Incentives and Awards in Digital Libraries on Primary School Students' Reading Motivation in EFL Classrooms - (A Case of Erbil, Iraq)

The present study aims at investigating whether the incentives and awards in digital libraries have an impact on private primary school students’ reading motivation in foreign language classrooms. A quantitative research methodology was chosen in order to collect numerical data to reveal the extent of incentives and awards features such as star system, gamified rewards, certificates and badges in digital library on students’ reading attitudes. A questionnaire was designed by the researcher for the purpose. Later, the attitudes of the students towards incentives and rewards and the number of the books that students have read were correlated to investigate whether there is a relationship between them. The sample of the study comprised of 41 grade 5 students from two private primary schools in Erbil (Iraq, KRG). The obtained data analysis was performed through SPSS 25 statistical software. The findings reveal that the incentives and rewards in digital library system positively influence the students’ attitudes towards reading. Furthermore, the number of the books that the students read in 2019-2020 academic year, and the effect of the incentives and rewards on students’ reading motivation are correlated significantly. This research might be beneficial for language teachers to see how students can be motivated to read and enhance their reading skills utilizing technological tools, also for curriculum designers to consider the effectiveness of digital library on students’ reading skill development

An evalaution of BookTrust additional needs resources

This report explores reading for pleasure among children with special educational needs through an evaluation of BookTrust's additional needs resources.The BookTrus

The effect of serious gaming on elementary student learning

With our ever-changing technological world, schools need to incorporate more engaging learning activities that expose and extend students\u27 learning with technologies. This literature review investigated the effects of serious gaming activities on student achievement. Thirty peer-reviewed journals were selected, analyzed, and evaluated. These studies were conducted about a variety of subject areas in the elementary setting in different areas around the world. Research evidence suggested that serious gaming, whose primary goal is not entertainment but instead to educate the user, can improve student achievement, meet their different learning styles, and enhance student motivation across curricular areas and regions. Recommendations for adopting serious gaming were discussed