Literacy skills are declining in The Netherlands. In preparatory vocational education (vmbo) this trend is more visible than elsewhere. Educational professionals are looking for alternative ways to...Show moreLiteracy skills are declining in The Netherlands. In preparatory vocational education (vmbo) this trend is more visible than elsewhere. Educational professionals are looking for alternative ways to stimulate reading activity, particularly the sustained reading activity that is carried out when reading long-form fiction. Reading long-form fiction has considerable cognitive and emotional effects, but many vmbo-students struggle with this type of sustained reading activity. It is currently being discussed if literacy can perhaps be improved through audiobooks. However, it is not clear if ‘reading’ through other modalities has similar intended and unintended effects on literacy as the reading of alphabetic text has. In this thesis, the properties of visual and auditory reading technologies are compared to see how different methods of reading influence the reading process, both cognitively and in terms of reading motivation. The question is explored along the attentional, cognitive, emotional, phenomenological and ergonomic dimensions. The thesis considers embodied reading, modality-specific affordances, impact of (environmental) factors and the way these affect mental interaction with the text. This demonstrates that audiobooks can be used to improve skills related to literacy, but they do not invoke every skill used when reading alphabetic text. The most significant shortcoming of audiobooks is that decoding skills and attention retention are not strengthened as they are with print reading. However, audiobooks can increase vocabulary knowledge, comprehension and reading motivation, particularly for struggling readers. For them, the underexplored option of dual channel reading can also be a worthwhile reading alternative. Existing research suggests that dual channel reading diminishes the cognitive load and working memory effort which typically interfere with the development of high order reading skills. Ultimately, the question which reading method suits best is dependent on the abilities of students and the intended effects and purposed with which is being read in school.Show less
According to Frank Furedi in his book 'Power of Reading', the act of reading runs the risk of being culturally devalued. The reason for this risk is accoring to Furedi, that reading is perceived...Show moreAccording to Frank Furedi in his book 'Power of Reading', the act of reading runs the risk of being culturally devalued. The reason for this risk is accoring to Furedi, that reading is perceived nowadays as a cognitive skill without cultural value. In this thesis, I show that reading is treated not as a cognitive skill, but as a moral skill in Dutch education. I do this by discussing multiple definitions for reading and types of reading, addressing the process of learning to read in Dutch education, and investigating the moral connotations that literary education bears in Dutch high schools. Although I do not agree with Frank Furedi, I acknowledge in my thesis that reading is under threat - and thereby society as well. In response to this, I propose a number of changes to Dutch primary and secondary education.Show less
During the late nineteenth and twentieth century newspaper front pages have evolved quite homogeneously across Western society. At the same time, the general public became much more familiar with...Show moreDuring the late nineteenth and twentieth century newspaper front pages have evolved quite homogeneously across Western society. At the same time, the general public became much more familiar with images and imagery thanks to the rise of photography and the growing popularity and accessibility of art. In this thesis, it is researched how newspaper front pages function as free-standing images themselves. First, the technological, societal, and cultural history of newspapers is discussed. Next, several art historical theories on composition are discussed. These two elements are put together in the third chapter for a case study of 100 years of front pages of Nieuwsblad van het Noorden. The compositions of the front pages of this Dutch regional newspaper aren't very pleasing from an art historical perspective, but do tend to some form of balance. The recognisability of newspaper front pages is confirmed with this research.Show less
With the first generations of digital natives growing up, and digitization becoming the standard in our society, questions about the effects reading digitally has on end-users is finally becoming a...Show moreWith the first generations of digital natives growing up, and digitization becoming the standard in our society, questions about the effects reading digitally has on end-users is finally becoming a priority among scholars. This thesis will examine the effects digital reading has had on the book trade and readers by looking at its quick rise (and possible fall), the development of digital literacy and the machine that drives digitalization. A comprehensive literary review will shed light on the question why people are switching to digital, clinging to printed books, or becoming a hybrid reader.Show less
This paper revolves around the changes that the academic library of the 21st century has to go through because of the e-book. It analyses the different acquisition methods, the implications for the...Show moreThis paper revolves around the changes that the academic library of the 21st century has to go through because of the e-book. It analyses the different acquisition methods, the implications for the library’s administration as well as the user experiences with the electronic book. Finally, it explores the possibility of the library transforming into an institution of access instead of an ownership which was the status quo for many years.Show less
In the thesis Lore, Commands, and Strategy Guides: Reading as part of Gaming Culture the relation between text and contemporary video games was scrutinised in order to investigate whether video...Show moreIn the thesis Lore, Commands, and Strategy Guides: Reading as part of Gaming Culture the relation between text and contemporary video games was scrutinised in order to investigate whether video games contribute to the reading culture. This investigation was accomplished through the examination of twelve case studies that have been selected by the criteria of relatively recent release dates, broad spectrum of genres, and different gaming industries, i.e. AAA/mainstream and Indie developed games. Additionally, the background section of the thesis provides an insight in how text has played a role in the video game culture as well as to create an understanding of what video games are and what the reading culture entails. From this information and evidence it was concluded that contemporary video games contain sufficient amounts of texts to contribute to the reading culture, yet in varying degrees on account of the three factors, namely genre, industry, and realism that influence to what extent and in what manner text is incorporated in video games.Show less
The thesis is discussing enhanced e-books in the realm of new media. Enhanced fiction novels as a literary genre of narrative still have low acceptance in the market of digital publishing. The...Show moreThe thesis is discussing enhanced e-books in the realm of new media. Enhanced fiction novels as a literary genre of narrative still have low acceptance in the market of digital publishing. The present thesis is focusing on two aspects which might account for the low popularity of reading enhanced fiction novels: the thesis questions first if enhanced e-books and their additional embeddings neglect the tradition of linear storytelling, a defining feature of the literary genre of narrative. Second, the thesis analyses if and to what extent enhanced e-books restrict imaginative freedom of narratives. These two characteristics, the linearity of storytelling and the power of imagination, are the raison d'être of narratives and might suffer from the enhanced form of fiction novels. The paper analyses these two aspects with a look at the precise nature of enhanced e-books and what function digital amplifications fulfill within them. Above the thesis raises the questions if enhanced fiction novels still follow the traditional idea of narrative in the sense of a story embedded in a narrative discourse and, finally, how digital enhancement influence the interpretation of the narrative.Show less
