The Impact of Using Electronic Storybooks with Story-Relevant Versus Story-Irrelevant Features Among Head Start Children

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

PURPOSE
Recent developments in electronic storybook apps enable to provide animated illustrations, that depict or expand the story narrative or provide fun elements (but not relevant to the storyline). These extra features seem to bring the story to life and provide details; however, it is not clear whether they could be engaging or distracting, and affect children’s comprehension and enjoyment. Based on the premise that the impact of interactive features could depend on the way they provide information related to the story, we attempted to investigate experimentally the impact of using digitized storybooks with differential interactive features on at-risk children’s literacy outcome. Specifically, the current study examined the extent to which Head Start children’s story comprehension and story enjoyment differs for digitized storybooks with story-relevant features, story-irrelevant features, and no additional features.

METHOD
Participants included 91 prekindergarten children (52 boys, 57.1%) from nine classrooms located in eight Head Start sites in a mountain west region. Their average age was 61.99 months (SD=3.34). The sample was diverse with 57 dual language learners (62.6%), including 38 Spanish speakers.
Two commercial, digitized storybook apps, "Cinderella"(Nosy Crow Limited, 2016) and “Where Do Balloons Go?,” (Auryn Inc., 2013) were selected with age-appropriate content and reading levels as well as diversity in the content of interactive features. Each of the eBooks were adapted into three versions, by recording screenplay of the story read-aloud and animations of the storyline with (1) story-relevant features, (2) story-irrelevant features, and (3) no extra features. Children were randomly assigned to read a version out of the three for each eBook on an iPad. Children’s base picture vocabulary skills (Woodcock-Johnson III), story comprehension, and story enjoyment of the eBooks were assessed individually.
The impact of reading eBook with different types of features on story comprehension and story enjoyment was analyzed by (1) examining the overall impact of reading conditions (ANCOVA), (2) comparing the impact of three conditions (multiple regressions, main effects), and (3) the moderated impact of three conditions by child characteristics (multiple regressions, interaction effects). All the analyses considered covariates of child gender, dual language status, and initial vocabulary skills.

RESULTS
There was a significant condition effect on story comprehension scores in reading Cinderella, F(2, 84)=4.203, p=.018 and Balloons, F(2, 79)=3.727, p=.029. Comparing three conditions demonstrated that reading Cinderella with story-irrelevant features led to significantly lower comprehension than reading with no features, t=-2.730, p=.008. Reading Balloons with story-relevant features led to higher comprehension than reading the story-irrelevant version, t=2.601, p=.011. There was no significant impact of reading conditions on story enjoyment.
Reading Cinderella with story-relevant features helps gender gaps in comprehension, t=2.842, p=.006; reading Cinderella with story-irrelevant features exacerbate lower comprehension of low vocabulary children, t=-2.027, p=.047.

DISCUSSION
Reading eBooks with extra features irrelevant to story narrative is likely to distract readers from comprehension. In contrast, reading eBooks with story-relevant features may help comprehension by providing extra details or background information. Simply adding extra features to eBooks would not help comprehension or enjoyment. Suggestions for eBook development will be discussed.

Authors

• Seung-Hee Claire Son, University of Utah
  Presenting Author

• Kirsten R. Butcher, University of Utah
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lauren Aimonette Liang, University of Utah
  Non-Presenting Author