Parent-Child Shared Reading of Print, Electronic, and Digital Books: Examination of Questioning

• In Event: Young Children's Literacy Practices With Digital Books at Home and at School: International Evidence

Abstract

Purpose
Despite the popularity of digital books in homes and schools, relatively few studies have compared adult-child interactions in print and digital books. Adult-child interactions within shared reading are thought to contribute to children’s cognitive, language and literacy development and thus examining differences and similarities between digital books and traditional, print books in terms of interactions is crucial. Studies to date have shown some consistent findings, such as labeling, discussing words and abstract talk (e.g., Authors, 2008; Lauricella, Barr, & Calvert, 2014; Worden, Kee, & Ingle, 1987). The importance of questioning in supporting children’s learning has been documented in the literature (e.g., Authors, 2012; Wells, 2009). Thus we examined 1) question type (wh- and y/n), agents (parents and children), verbal turns (initiate or follow), and foci of the questions, as parents and children shared a print book, a hand held electronic book (Leapfrog book), a digital book with a page turning icon, and a digital book with automatic play, the latter two using a laptop computer as a platform.
Perspectives
This study utilized Vygotsky’s socio-historical theory of learning and the perspective that contemporary communications is multimodal in nature (Marsh, 2011). Systemic functional linguistics (SFL), which entails the systematic analysis of language in use, considering both text and context, was the analytic tool employed.
Method
Twenty 20 parent-child dyads (10 boys; 10 girls) participated. Except for two kindergarteners, all of the children attended preschool. Participants were asked to read or share the four books as they normally would, to audio-record each shared reading session at home. Data analysis started with verbatim transcription of all parent-child interactions. Verbal interactions were divided into messages that were realized by main clause (i.e., a clause containing subject and verb) based on SFL principles. Then, semantic network analysis was conducted using the WAG coder (a computer software program). After the completion of the semantic network analysis, paired t-tests and contrast comparisons were conducted to examine any statistical differences in the frequencies of the dyads’ questions.
Results
Results indicate that significantly more questions occurred in the Leapfrog Book than in any of the other books. Furthermore, significantly more open ended questions, which are thought to enhance children’s learning, occurred in the Leapfrog Book and in the Print Book than in either of the Digital Books. As well, significantly more questions focusing on metalinguistic elements were asked in the Leapfrog Book. The study suggests that different formats of books afford differing opportunities and possibilities for asking questions and therefore, may differentially affect young children’s learning.
Significance
This is one of the first studies examining questioning in different formats of book. The results suggest that digital books are less conducive contexts for questioning than traditional print books and the Leapfrog book. The results have practical implications for productive uses of different types of books by early childhood educators, parents and book publishers of digital and electronic books.

Authors

• Ji Eun Kim, The University of British Columbia

• Jim Anderson, The University of British Columbia