The Goldilocks Effect in E-Books: An Optimal Amount of Illustrations Promotes Children’s Comprehension and Attention

• In Event: When Technology is Here to Stay: Maximizing the Potential of E-Books for Learning in Young Childhood

Abstract

This project investigates how the design of reading materials can be optimized to best support young readers during the period when children are increasingly expected to read independently as they evolve into fluent readers. Particularly as remote learning requires greater autonomy from beginning readers, understanding the best design practices is needed. This pre-registered study examined whether extraneous illustration details (nonessential features to comprehend the story)–a design common in children’s books–promote attentional competition and hinder reading comprehension. Children in grades 1-3 read an electronic book (e-book) in a commercially available Standard Condition (n=53; text + relevant illustrations intermixed with extraneous illustrations, Figure 1A), a Streamlined Condition in which extraneous illustration details were removed (n=53; text + relevant illustrations, Figure 1B), or a Text Only Condition (n=49; no illustrations, Figure 1C). Children’s gaze shifts away from the text while reading were recorded with an eye tracker. The study used a randomized block between-subject design with 153 children (M=8.13 years, SD=9.6 months; 78 females, 70 males, 3 unreported). We administered a measure of reading proficiency before the reading sessions, and a measure of attention after the reading sessions. Reading comprehension questions were administered after children read the e-book. Participants were blocked by reading proficiency level, grade, and classroom. Within each block, children were randomly assigned to read in one of the three book conditions. We found that children’s comprehension scores were significantly higher in the Streamlined condition compared to the Standard Condition and Text Only Condition (F=12.23, p<.001, Figure 2A). Results indicated that gaze shifts away from the text were highest in the Standard condition (F=11.13, p<.001, Figure 2B). The inclusion of extraneous details negatively affected the comprehension of first- and second-grade children (who still have developing attention regulation systems and reading skills) compared to third-grade children, but children performed similarly across grades in the Streamlined Condition. A negative association between comprehension and children’s gaze shifts away from the text while reading (r=-.426; p=.004) and attention task performance (r=-.477, p<.001) was found in the Standard Condition: as children’s mean gaze shifts away from the text and RT on the attention task increased, comprehension scores decreased. Furthermore, the strongest and only significant association between children’s performance on the independent measure of attention and gaze shifts away from the text while reading was found in the Standard Condition (r=.372, p=.012). The results of this study show a Goldilocks Effect in e-book designs: children learned the most in the condition where the illustrations were neither too simple nor too busy. Moreover, children who benefited the most from the "just right" condition were the ones who exhibited less developed attention regulation, highlighting the need to take into account children's developing attention—a foundational component linked to academic achievement and success—when designing e-books.This study suggests that illustrations can support reading comprehension, but only when they are well designed. This work provides theoretical insights about design principles for reading materials that can be employed to optimize EdTech materials and promote literacy development in young children.

Authors

• Cassondra Eng, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Karrie E Godwin, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Oceann Stanley, Louisiana State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna V Fisher, Carnegie Mellon University
  Non-Presenting Author