The Effectiveness of Electronic Books in the Primary Classroom

• In Event: 49.088 - Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 49.088-26 - Teacher Research: Critical Literacy Across the Grades

Abstract

Public schools have multiple levels of supports to help young readers; however, there are some students who show little or no progress after receiving all tiers of reading supports available. Software companies have created online electronic books to enhance reading instruction for students. There has been minimal research regarding benefits of using electronic books in the primary grades. A collaborative action research study was conducted using electronic books in a second grade classroom, especially for students who did not benefit from traditional reading supports. Software was mounted on four personal computers in the classroom and data were collected over a seven-week period. All students participated, and each student in the class made improvements in multiple areas; fluency, comprehension, and expression.

Authors

• Bethany Hendrickson, University of North Texas

• Kimberly Griffith, Denton Independent School District

• Janet Ray, University of North Texas