The TAL Framework: Interpreting Young Children’s Multimodal Digital Reading Practices

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 4:15pm
  In Poster Session: Research in Research and Literacy (SIG 11) Poster Session II

Abstract

With the rise of digital texts in early literacy, researchers require tools to better understand how young children engage with and learn from multimodal content. This paper introduces the TAL Framework, a conceptual tool grounded in qualitative analysis of first graders’ digital reading behaviors. Organized into three intersecting domains (Technology, Action, and Learning), the framework captures how young readers interact with digital interfaces, employ adaptive strategies, and construct meaning. Drawing on multimodal interaction analysis and child-led video elicitation, the TAL Framework offers a structured yet flexible lens for analyzing emergent digital literacy. It supports research on cognitive and embodied aspects of digital reading and holds promise for guiding classroom observation and curriculum design.

Authors

• Amanda M. Mirabella, University of North Carolina Asheville

• Ilene R. Berson, University of South Florida

• Michael J. Berson, University of South Florida