Effects of Electronic Books on Language and Literacy: A Summary

1. Effects of Electronic
Books on Language and
Literacy: A Summary
Sarah H. Wargaski
Aurora University
Presented June 24, 2014
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2. Background Information
Electronic books (e-books) are digital texts that include both
hypermedia and an oral reading function.
❖ Use of e-books is on the rise
❖ Little research, many factors
Guiding questions:
1. To what extent do e-books support literacy development?
2. Which students might benefit from e-books?
3. Which e-book features support literacy development
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3. Research Synthesis
Meta-Analysis Narrative Review
7 experimental studies 23 non-experimental studies
11 quasi-experimental studies
9 qualitative studies
3 content analysis or survey
Outcomes: comprehension (5)
and decoding (2)
Outcomes: comprehension
Characteristics of included studies:
• published in peer reviewed
journals from January 1997 to
January 2007
!
• Sample sizes: n< 150
• Participants: PreK-5th Grade
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4. Background Information
Electronic books (e-books) are digital texts that include both
hypermedia and an oral reading function.
❖ Use of e-books is on the rise
❖ Little research, many factors
Guiding questions:
1. To what extent do e-books support literacy development
comprehension?
2. Which students might benefit from e-books?
3. Which e-book features support literacy development
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5. Findings
1. The use of either print or e-
books by individual, pairs,
or groups of students with
an adult coach is more
effective than either
method without.
2. The use of e-books by
individual students is more
effective than traditional
print books.
3. The type and accessibility
of interactive features
(supportive or incidental)
affects an e-book’s
efficacy.
4. Multiple exposures to the
same text increase the
effect.
5. Regular use increases the
effect.
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6. Recommendations
Additional
research
• Nonfiction texts
• Upper elementary
students
• Specific subgroups
• Decoding skills
• Role of Teacher
Higher-quality
research
• Larger sample
sizes
• Standardized
evaluation
measures
!
!
Professional
Development
• Expectations for
teacher and
student use
• Best practices for
e-book integration
!
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7. Implications for Student Achievement
❖ E-books have the potential to provide critical literacy
experiences to early elementary students.
!
❖ The mobile, electronic platform has the capacity to
provide differentiated or individualized instruction
meeting a wide variety of instructional needs.
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8. Applications
❖ Investigate an e-book’s available features before use in the
classroom.
❖ Integrate high-quality e-books with data-collection.
❖ Explore available digital resources.
❖ Behavioral expectations and classroom procedures should
be explicit.
Zucker, T. A., Moody, A. K., & McKenna, M. C. (2009). The effects of electronic books on pre-
kindergarten-to-Grade 5 students’ literacy and language outcomes: A research synthesis. Journal of
Educational Computing Research, 40(1), 47-87.
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