Reading to Preschoolers: Effects of Book Format on Parent-Child Interaction

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Introduction: While there have been many studies on how parents engage with their children when reading print books, there are few studies on parent-child reading with eBooks. Some research has found parents’ scaffolding behaviors and children’s story comprehension do not vary by book format (Lauricella et al., 2014). Other studies have found that print books elicit richer language than print books (Korat & Or, 2010) which leads to better story comprehension scores (Krcmar & Cingel, 2013). One standout study found that during book reading, noninteractive print and eBooks prompted equal amounts of content related behaviors (e.g., pointing, labeling, elaborating), while interactive eBooks elicited more non-content related behaviors (e.g., talking about the device itself, restricting children from touching the screen) (Chiong et al., 2012). These mixed findings preclude an investigation of the different reading behaviors that parents and children use while reading various book formats, teasing apart the separate effects of platform and interactivity. The purpose of this study is to examine how book format influences language (i.e., dialogic reading techniques, story-related vs. device-related talk) and gestures (i.e., pointing, page turning, triggering interactive features) during naturalistic parent-child joint book reading.

Method: Parents (N=95) and their preschooler (3-5 years, N=95) were randomly assigned to one of four book conditions: print–noninteractive, print–interactive, electronic–noninteractive, or electronic–interactive. Dyads in the interactive book conditions revealed hidden objects throughout the story by triggering interactive features (i.e., swiping the screen in the eBook, moving a slider in the print book). The print and electronic versions were visually identical. Data have been collected. Video coding of language and gesture use was initially disrupted during campus closure starting in March 2020. Remote coding systems are now in place, and video coding is underway. Coding is 25% complete at the time of this writing and should be complete by January 2021.

Hypotheses & Analysis Plan: Data analysis will involve linear regression models with main effects and two-way interactions for platform (print, electronic), interactivity (interactive, noninteractive) and age. The dependent variables will be parent-child interaction variables of interest: dialogic reading, story-related talk, device-related talk, and gesturing. I predict that interactive books will be associated with more gesturing, more device-related talk, and less dialogic reading prompts based on previous findings (Chiong et al., 2012, Parish-Morris et al., 2013). In agreement with previous research (Parish-Morris et al., 2013) and survey data suggesting that parents have less experience with and preference for eBooks (Etta, 2018), I also expect that eBooks will elicit fewer dialogic reading prompts than print books.

Potential Implications: Reading to young children is educationally valuable (Bus, van IJzendoorn & Pellegrini, 1995), but reading now comes in many forms, with different books presented on screens and loaded with interactive features. This study can provide principled knowledge to parents on potential mechanisms (i.e., platform, interactivity) that elicit different behaviors during book reading. If parents are aware of the mechanisms that drive differences in their reading experiences, they can better tailor their behavior while reading for maximum educational gain.

Authors

• Roxanne Ashley Etta, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author

• Heather Kirkorian, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Non-Presenting Author