The Efficacy of Interactive Features in Children's Digital Books

• In Event: Bedtime Stories in the 21st Century: What We Know—and Need to Know—About Digital Reading for Young Children

Abstract

Significance and Theory
The objective of this meta-analysis was to examine the effects of interactive features in children’s digital picture books on vocabulary development and reading comprehension. Using multimedia learning theory as a guide, we aimed to determine whether the presence of interactive features in these digital books either enhances or hinders children’s story processing. Certain features, such as mini-games, have the potential to introduce unnecessary information, overwhelming children’s working memory capacity. Conversely, other features can assist in cognitive processing by aiding the representation of important visual and verbal information. For example, if the animations in digital books contain numerous distracting visual details, children’s cognitive processing can become excessively demanding. On the other hand, interactive features can also facilitate the integration of crucial information, contributing to the overall meaning of the story.

Methods
Employing a systematic literature review, we identified a total of 25 pertinent articles, encompassing 1,717 children aged between two and eight. Among these, 25 studies involving 1,264 children investigated the effect of digital books on story comprehension, while 16 studies involving 973 children explored the influence of interactive features on word learning. We categorized studies based on the specific interactive features examined, including mini-games, dictionaries, questions, hotspots, and reader actions mirroring those of story characters. We conducted separate meta-analyses on the two sets of outcomes (i.e., reading comprehension and vocabulary development). This involved estimating a pooled effect size (g), evaluating heterogeneity, and examining the data for potential outliers or influential cases. To check for the existence of publication bias we designed a funnel plot. To visually represent the results, we generated a forest plot and conducted subgroup analyses when appropriate.

Results
Studies incorporating games and thus introducing extraneous processing had a detrimental effect on story comprehension, whereas carrying out actions that aligned with the narrative positively impacted comprehension. The latter feature may have stimulated the utilization of cognitive capacity for making sense of the story. The impact of questions, hotspots, and dictionaries on story comprehension exhibited variability meaning that they easily could interfere with comprehension. Among the 16 studies focused on word learning, the inclusion of a dictionary emerged as the most prevalent feature, showing a positive albeit insignificant association with word acquisition.

Implications
These comprehensive insights shed light on the reasons for the mixed effects of digital picture books on story comprehension and word learning. This study reveals which interactive features facilitate information processing and should be incorporated into children's books. However, the most commonly employed interactive features (i.e., games, hotspots, dictionary functions, or embedded questions) can easily hinder learning and should be avoided.

Authors

• Adriana G. Bus, University of Stavanger

• Natalia Kucirkova, University of Stavanger