This study examined the effects of a classroom-focused intervention on early literacy. The intervention consisted of interactive e-book reading via a SMART board combined with a print referencing...Show moreThis study examined the effects of a classroom-focused intervention on early literacy. The intervention consisted of interactive e-book reading via a SMART board combined with a print referencing technique via a program called e-Prent&ABC. The goal of the study was to examine whether focusing on print referencing during storytelling improves the book-bound vocabulary and printing knowledge of kindergarteners and to examine whether this relationship between storytelling and acquiring knowledge is different for children with a relatively low inhibition capacity compared to children with a relatively high inhibition capacity. Results indicated significantly larger gains with high effect sizes in book bound vocabulary (ηp2 = .614) and printing knowledge (ηp2 = .433) after participating in the intervention. The print referencing technique was found to be significantly effective with a high effect size for growth in printing knowledge (ηp2 = .450). The growth in vocabulary was not attributable to the print referencing technique, however this technique did not hinder children’s learning of new words. No significant differences were found after participating in the intervention for children with a relatively low inhibition capacity when compared to children with a relatively high inhibition capacity. The findings indicated that shared e-book reading combined with a print referencing technique is an effective method for stimulating and enhancing early literacy skills of kindergarteners such as printing knowledge and vocabulary.Show less
Teachers in kindergarten are confronted with many differences between emergent literacy skills children have developed before going to primary school. Since these skills are the foundation of the...Show moreTeachers in kindergarten are confronted with many differences between emergent literacy skills children have developed before going to primary school. Since these skills are the foundation of the development of reading skills, it is important to promote emergent literacy in kindergarten. E- Prent&ABC is a method to improve emergent literacy that combines animated e-books with print referencing and the 4-cycle-model for word development during classroom book reading. A previous study has demonstrated that e-Prent&ABC enhances vocabulary and phonological awareness of kindergartners. However, kindergartners with problematic learning behavior do not benefit from these positive effects. Therefore, the current study adds behavior regulating elements to e-Prent&ABC to improve the learning behavior of kindergartners with problematic learning behavior and to help them benefit more from classroom book reading. This quasi-experimental study explores how whole-class reading with the expanded method e-Prent&ABC+ can enhance learning behavior, vocabulary, and phonological awareness of kindergartners with problematic learning behavior. 60 kindergartners (30 with and 30 without problematic learning behavior) from nine kindergarten groups participated in three conditions (control condition, e-Prent&ABC, and e-Prent&ABC+). Ultimately, the results demonstrate that both kindergartners with and without problematic learning behavior showed the most positive learning behavior during the control condition instead of during reading with e-Prent&ABC+ or e-Prent&ABC . Furthermore, the results confirm previous findings by showing that e-Prent&ABC effectively promotes both vocabulary and phonological awareness of kindergartners. The added elements in e-Prent&ABC+ did not better improve learning behavior and emergent literacy than e- Prent&ABC does. Compared to e-Prent&ABC, the vocabulary of the kindergartners was even smaller after reading with e-Prent&ABC+ . In spite of several limitations, this research has shown that animated e-books can be used in combination with the 4-cycle-model during whole-class book reading to create a rich literacy environment in which emergent literacy skills can be promoted simultaneously.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
Children growing up today do not only read printed books but also electronic books (e-books) which are offered to them through the internet or applications on tablets. The purpose of this study was...Show moreChildren growing up today do not only read printed books but also electronic books (e-books) which are offered to them through the internet or applications on tablets. The purpose of this study was to research whether a reading voice in combination with highlighted print in e-books has a positive influence on the reading development of beginning readers. The study involved 54 fluent Dutch speaking students without any learning- and/or behavioural problems who were in third grade of regular primary education. The research was a randomised pretest posttest within subjects design. During the pre-and posttest, word recognition and reading comprehension skills were measured by means of one standardised and three book bound tasks. The intervention is the reading and listening to e-books via the computer with a built-in reading voice and different levels of highlighted print (one line, half a page or no highlighted print). Results indicated that reading e-books leads to better word recognition and reading comprehension skills. Different levels of highlighted print do not have effect on the proficiency in word recognition and reading comprehension. Similarly, there is no difference found between the most and least skilled readers in the extent to which they profit from highlighted texts in e-books. Students read better independently when they were able to read along with the spoken text several times. It seems that reading along the spoken text before reading the text independently is an appropriate way to stimulate reading development and could be a valuable addition to current reading instructions.Show less
In deze studie werd onderzocht of een ingebouwde digitale tutor het leesbegrip bij jonge kinderen verbetert. Daarnaast werd onderzocht of een hogere motivatie het leesbegrip bevordert. De studie...Show moreIn deze studie werd onderzocht of een ingebouwde digitale tutor het leesbegrip bij jonge kinderen verbetert. Daarnaast werd onderzocht of een hogere motivatie het leesbegrip bevordert. De studie betrof een gerandomiseerd tussen-subject design met zelfleesgroep en voor- en nameting bij 24 groep drie leerlingen uit de Randstad. Na de voormetingen, waarbij o.a. het begrijpend lezen werd getoetst, vonden vier interventies plaats bij drie verschillende groepen leerlingen : een groep met tutor, een groep zonder tutor en een zelfleesgroep. Hierbij werd een (geanimeerd) e-book gelezen. Na afloop van de interventies vonden nametingen plaats. Tevens werd de motivatie van de leerlingen bepaald. Na het uitvoeren van een univariate ANOVA met de conditie als fixed factor, bleek er bij geen van de drie onderzochte testen een significante verbetering van het leesbegrip. Ook leesmotivatie bleek geen significante verbetering van het leesbegrip te veroorzaken. Naast het bespreken van de tekortkomingen van deze studie, worden er tevens suggesties gedaan voor vervolgonderzoek. E-books kunnen een goede aanvulling zijn op het huidige leesonderwijs. Door het lezen van e-books zijn kinderen makkelijker te motiveren om te gaan lezen, zal hun motivatie voor lezen toenemen en zullen ze meer leeskilometers gaan maken waardoor het leesbegrip verder zal toenemen.Show less
