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The Efficacy of PBS KIDS Media Resources for Promoting Ability to Use Informational Text

Wed, April 7, 4:20 to 5:50pm EDT (4:20 to 5:50pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Informational text (IT) - oral or written text designed to inform - is foundational to the sciences, but also to navigating daily life, from reading a map to critically engaging with web content. Children’s ability to comprehend and use IT undergirds their ability to use textbooks, succeed on standardized tests, and navigate the informational demands of adulthood (National Assessment Governing Board, 2008; Venezky, 2000; White et al., 2010). American children struggle to understand IT: U.S. fourth graders’ IT comprehension is significantly lower than their narrative text comprehension (NAEP, 2019), and is worse for children from low-income families (Schgar & Dreher, 2017; NAEP, 2019). Researchers attribute this to insufficient IT exposure in elementary classrooms, particularly in low-SES classrooms (Moss, 2008; Jeong et al., 2010; Yopp & Yopp, 2006; Duke, 2000). Exposure to IT outside the classroom may provide a useful supplement; out-of-school reading activities are associated with stronger IT comprehension, although less so for low-income children (Schugar & Dreher, 2017). Free public media, widely accessible to even low-income families, present an opportunity to increase children’s exposure to and comprehension of IT outside the classroom.

This randomized controlled trial investigates the efficacy of resources from a PBS KIDS media series that supports young children' to access, use, and create IT. The resources include digital games, videos, hands-on activities, and parental guidance.

METHOD

Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment or modified business-as-usual control group. Both groups received data-enabled tablets; treatment tablets were pre-loaded with intervention resources while control tablets were blocked from accessing intervention resources, PBSKIDS.org, and select IT-related apps. Both groups were encouraged to use the tablet for at least one hour per week over 9 weeks.

Baseline assessments were the Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT-3) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS-8). A researcher-developed IT assessment was administered at baseline and post-intervention; the instruments subscores measured disposition to use IT and ability to name and use structural and graphical features of IT. Baseline assessments were in-person but due to COVID-19, post-test assessments were conducted via video-conferencing.

RESULTS

Participants were 122 first-grade children from low-income families in Phoenix, AZ and Birmingham, AL, 5 to 8 years old. Fifty-five percent were boys. Post intervention, the treatment condition performed significantly better on the IT assessment than did the control group, controlling for baseline IT assessment score, DIBELS-8, EVT-3, age, gender, parental education, and location, p < .01, d = .29 (Figure 1). This appears to be driven by improvements in understanding graphical and structural features, although this subscore included many more items than the other subscore (Table 1).

DISCUSSION

Using free public media at home improved children’s recognition of and ability to use aspects of IT. These findings are particularly important during COVID-19-related school closures, when disruptions in children’s education increase families’ reliance on media for supplemental support. A fully remote replication study with a more national sample is currently underway and results will be available in time for SRCD2021.

Authors