Investigating Reading in Children’s Daily Lives: The Role of Screen Media, Parental Presence and Location

• In Event: The Newest Trick in the Book: Current Directions in Research on Literacy and Media/Technology

Abstract

Introduction.
With near-ubiquitous screen media use by children, activities known to support school achievement, such as reading, can be affected. Time-use diary research provides evidence that, for some children, screen use displaces reading. Comprehensive examination of everyday situations in which children spend time reading can build thorough understanding and effective encouragement of this valuable activity. This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine screen use and other factors that may influence frequency of children’s reading or being read to. To investigate cultural differences in valuing and perceived influence of reading and media use, participants were drawn from suburban locations in the United States (US) and Mexico (MX).

Method.
The sample, from a larger study examining the impact of free-time behaviors on development, includes children ages 2.5-8 years (US n=138; MX n=169). For two weeks, parents completed up to 8 daily EMAs delivered randomly through smartphones. Parents indicated what their child was doing, whether they were doing the activity with the child, where they were, and who else was present.

Results.
Children were reported to be reading (or being read to) in 3.1% of US EMAs and 1.6% of MX EMAs. Parents were reading with their child in 55.2% of US EMAs, 76.1% of MX EMAs. In the US, reading happened at home in 76.4% of US EMAs and 83.8% of Mexican EMAs. Linear regressions showed reading frequency (number of EMAs in which child was reading) on weekends in the US was positively associated with screen use frequency (β=0.31, p < 0.01) but unrelated to child age, child gender, and parental income. In Mexico, the older the child, the more frequently they read (β=0.25, p < 0.01). Generalized Estimating Equations using EMAs as the unit of analyses revealed that in both the US and Mexico, when children were using media, they were significantly less likely to be reading (OR=0.06, 95% CI: 0.02-0.22; OR=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01-0.26, respectively). Reading occurred more frequently at home than in other places (US: OR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.24-0.82; MX: OR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.31-0.77). In the US, but not Mexico, when a child is with a parent, they are more likely to be reading than when they are alone (OR=1.83, 95% CI: 0.96-3.49).

Discussion.
These results are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that free-time reading is fairly rare for children; this was especially true in Mexico and among younger Mexican children. When reading was reported, it was more likely to take place at home and with a parent. Reading, it seems, is unlikely to be a child’s free-time choice and requires the presence of a parent to encourage it. Although not conclusive, this seems especially true for the US sample. For some children at some times, more frequent screen use goes hand-in-hand with more frequent reading. However, across both samples, using screens at any given moment greatly reduced the likelihood of reading. Fostering a home environment in which the parent is present and screens are off could provide the setting most conducive to reading.

Authors

• David S Bickham, Boston Children's Hospital
  Presenting Author

• Summer Moukalled, Boston Children's Hospital
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michael Rich, Boston Children's Hospital
  Non-Presenting Author