ETEC 540 Final Assignment – Draft Transcript

From picture books to iPads. Examining how digital books have impacted language and literacy development in young children.

It’s not hard to look around and observe signs that our world is becoming increasingly digital. And while there has been some trepidation in allowing our youngest members of society, specifically those under the age of six, to engage with technology, screen time is becoming more prevalent even with this age group. A 2020 Italian survey of 260 children under the age of three, showed that 97% of children under 36 months and 89% under 18 months have already used digital device at least once (Operto et al., 2020).

Print books continue to lead book sales; however the popularity of eBooks and Audio books has grown. In the decade prior to the pandemic the sales of digital children’s books grew steadily (Bruner, 2024). The impact of digital storybooks on the engagement, vocabulary and motor development, and comprehension of young children has been researched and reported with mixed results. Early literacy skill development and reading proficiency are often predictors of later academic success which is why it’s so important to examine the affordances and limitations that digital books provide.

Let’s take a look at children’s books have evolved:
Print Picture or Storybooks: Children can look at pictures and explore independently; however the hallmark of printed children’s books is in the experience of shared reading and reliance of an adult or older child to read the story.

eBooks: Very similar to a printed picture book but in digital form. Young children still were reliant on someone else to read the story, interactive elements might include clicking or touching the screen to turn the page.

Enhanced eBooks: These are ebooks with additional features such as the ability to click on words, a option to have the story read aloud with words possibly being highlighted as they are being read. These books provide children with more independence than the previous two formats. There may be short animations within the graphics that are repetitive and limited to the page they appear on.

Mulit-media eBooks: These books can feel more like videos or games.  In addition to the features of enhanced eBooks, these are interactive books that include a variety of media, such as sound effects, interactive hotspots, animations, and games or activities that can be played during reading or after it is completed

With inconclusive findings and several format options, it can leave caregivers scratching their heads. And it doesn’t help that media tend to suggest that printed books are superior when it comes to literacy development in young children (Bruner, 2024)  and focus on the potential negative outcomes of increased technology use. 

Let’s take a closer look starting with examining the impact on story comprehension for our young readers:

The results from a study published in 2022 by Son and Butcher (2022) discovered that for easy stories, animations focused on storyline elements improved comprehension. However, for complex stories with a greater amount of animations, comprehension was only improved in children with a high level of vocabulary skills. It was also discovered that animations focused on illustration details were shown to hinder comprehension in all cases. The Takeaway – animations can overwhelm or distract, but a small number of purposeful animations related to the storyline can be beneficial for comprehension.

In another study conducted by Altun (2022) it was found that the use eBooks was beneficial to short story comprehension for all children regardless of comprehension skills; however, in the case of longer texts, the children’s comprehension was not improved with the use of eBooks for children with poor comprehension skills.

Impact on Vocabulary development

Storybooks provide exposure to rich language not commonly used in day-to-day conversations. In shared reading this exposure is generally supported by images and, in the case of shared reading, explanations provided by an adult. Rich vocabulary and supporting images are found in eBooks and storybook apps. Automatic animations and sounds effects, as well as corresponding hotspots related to the story have also been shown to possibly help with vocabulary development (Bruner, 2024).

Impact on the development on Fine motor skills

Grasping print books and turning pages contribute to fine motor skill development. While there weren’t studies specific to fine motor development and digital books, there has been a fair amount of research on the relationship between fine motor skill development and device use, which has mostly been inconclusive (Operto al. 2023). There are concerns however that the fine motor movements typical of devices such as button pushing aren’t varied enough to support motor development (Martzog & Suggate, 2022) and that device use in general may decrease the amount of time a child spends in more beneficial learning experiences ] (Operto et al. 2023). In a 2022 study by Martzog & Suggate results indicated that screen media use was negatively associated with fine motor skill development over time. Note that this study involved all screen media use ebooks, smart phones, tablets, TV, videos, and video games. However, studies have shown that interactive digital technologies, such as smart phones, tablets, etc. are better than passive ones, such as TV (Operto et al. 2023).

So what are the key takeaways?

Historically there has been reservation as new technologies are introduced, eBooks and storybook apps are no different.  At the end of the day technology is neutral, it isn’t bad or good, but our uses of it can have positive and negative results.

When incorporating ebooks of any kind, consider the following:

• Engage with children during their eBook reading.
• If devices or screens are being used to pacify children, interactive, educational content, which would include many eBooks have been shown as better alternatives than passive experiences such as TV and video. There are plenty of opportunities for exposure to rich language and learning.
• Digital books and print books both contain strengths.
• Consider what other factors, societal or environmental, might be impacting the stories reported by media. For example screen use may be increasing and fine motor skill development decreasing; however, this could be a result of children having fewer opportunities to play outside, or busy families with less time for play and shared reading

References

Altun, D. (2022). The effects of e-stories on preschoolers’ narrative comprehension, retelling and reading attitudes among poor and good comprehenders. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 24(2), 471–504. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687984221079010

Bruner, L. (2024). Word learning opportunities in preschool storybook apps. Reading Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.556

Jing, M., Ye, T., Kirkorian, H. L., & Mares, M. (2023). Screen media exposure and young children’s vocabulary learning and development: A meta‐analysis. Child Development, 94(5), 1398–1418. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13927

Martzog, P., & Suggate, S. P. (2022). Screen media are associated with fine motor skill development in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 60, 363–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.03.010

McDonald, B. (2024, March 15). Screen time can affect children’s language development, study suggests. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/screen-time-can-affect-children-s-language-development-study-suggests-1.7144348

Operto, F. F., Pastorino, G. M. G., Marciano, J., De Simone, V., Volini, A. P., Olivieri, M., Buonaiuto, R., Vetri, L., Viggiano, A., & Coppola, G. (2020). Digital Devices Use and Language Skills in Children between 8 and 36 Month. Brain Sciences, 10(9), 656. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10090656

Operto, F. F., Viggiano, A., Perfetto, A., Citro, G., Olivieri, M., De Simone, V., Bonuccelli, A., Orsini, A., Aiello, S., Coppola, G., & Pastorino, G. M. G. (2023). Digital Devices Use and Fine Motor Skills in Children between 3–6 Years. Children, 10(6), 960. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060960

Son, S. C., & Butcher, K. R. (2024). Effects of varied multimedia animations in digital storybooks: A randomised controlled trial with preschoolers. Journal of Research in Reading. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12452