Shared book reading is an effective way to support kindergartener’s word learning. Because not every child benefits equally from reading time, effective vocabulary instruction methods 4-Cycle-model...Show moreShared book reading is an effective way to support kindergartener’s word learning. Because not every child benefits equally from reading time, effective vocabulary instruction methods 4-Cycle-model and print-referencing are combined with interactive reading of e-books in e-Prent&ABC, and used as an intervention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of e-Prent&ABC on word acquisition in kindergarten, and to profile the slower classroom word learners with child characteristics like executive functions, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and engagement, to make recommendations for effective shared book reading. Because it was hypothesized that (active) engagement would differ during reading, the effects of active and regular engagement on word acquisition were investigated. In a repeated mixed measured design, four- and five-year-old slower (N = 40) and faster word learners (N = 41) were read three e-storybooks with or without teacher-class interaction and consolidation targeted on the semantic or semantic and phonological aspects of words. Book vocabulary and observed active engagement was higher during interactive reading time in comparison to reading without interaction for all children, and word learning was more effective when words where consolidated on the semantic aspect without paying attention to the phonological aspect. It was hypothesized that phonological consolidation did not target the meaning of words, and therefore increased the cognitive load. Furthermore, slow word learners benefited more from interactive reading than fast learners. Word learning in this group was predicted by active engagement. Fast learners generally had a better developed vocabulary and phonological awareness, but these child characteristics could not explain the differences of book vocabulary between the groups, merely executive functions and engagement predicted word learning. The results confirm previous research with e-Prent&ABC (Van Dijken, 2019) and indicate that all kindergarteners, especially the slow word learners, benefit from interactive e-book reading with visual animations, semantic instruction and print-referencing.Show less
