Emergent Bilingual Children's iPad App Book-Reading Patterns in L1 and L2

• In Event: iPad Apps and Early Literacy Development

Abstract

Digital book apps are increasingly becoming part of young children’s everyday life (Schuler, 2012). 10-20% of preschool children interact with digital books for 36-47 minutes daily (Vandewater et al., 2007). Reading digital app books differs from reading traditional paper text in allowing the user to activate and manipulate variety of digital text features, such as images, sounds, movement, layout, spoken or written language. Yet, research on how young children develop understanding as to how digital text works or use digital text features to make meaning with the book is meager. Likewise, whether or not there are differences in digital app book reading patterns of young children across languages has not been studied yet.

To address these issues, this case study investigated emergent bilingual children’s iPad app book reading patterns in their native (Turkish) and second (English) language. The research question was “How do 4-to-5-year-old children in preschool classrooms, who do not yet decode traditional print text, interact with and make meaning of iPad app books presented in their native and second language?” Children’s touch screen interactions with digital texts and use of various text features were investigated as they read iPad app books in Turkish and English. While the previous e-book research has predominantly focused on monolingual children and reading in native language, this study examined e-book reading among emergent bilinguals in two languages, thus offering a cross-linguistic perspective.

Informed by a transactional view of reading (Rosenblatt, 2004), the study perceived young children’s meaning-making experience from digital books as dynamic, reciprocal, and recursive transactions between the child, text, and context. Delineating these transactions helps understand how emergent readers engage with digital texts to construct meaning.

This qualitative paper includes preliminary findings of a broader funded research project conducted with 55 children in 3 preschool classrooms over 8 months in Turkey. Data were collected videotaping children’s interactions with iPad app books within their “buddy” groups. 8 buddy-reading sessions of 4 children reading 2 apps in Turkish and 2 in English were chosen for preliminary analysis. To identify reading patterns, children’s interactions with these apps were analyzed through open and axial coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).

Preliminary findings show five major issues that led to differences in reading patterns in Turkish and English iPad app books: (1) digital text features determining quantity and quality of peer interactions in buddy reading, (2) use and manipulation of digital features tempting children over the script and content of the story, (3) less oral language and more inactive reading when interacting app books in English, (4) relying predominantly on Turkish when reading and interpreting app books in English with few instances of code-switching, and (5) lack of app books in children’s native language.

Paper will discuss and exemplify reading patterns while shedding light on cross-linguistic considerations in digital book reading for emergent bilingual children. Implications include suggestions for selecting and using iPad app books in preschool classrooms of dual-language learners.

Author

• Ersoy Erdemir, Bogazici University