For Young Readers, Print or Digital Books? May 29, 2012 | 6:00 AM | ByTina BarseghianPrint9 CommentsTweetinShare97 Email PostThinkstockPrint or digital? Adults grapple with which is the best way to read —not only for t hemsel ves, but especially when it comes to their kids. Wheth er or not parents prefe r print booksoverinteractive e-books for their kids, the question is, what’s actually better for them?Depends on what you’re trying to achieve. According to a study of a small groupof parents released today by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, kids age 3 to 6 remembered more narrative details—―What happened in the story?‖ —from print books than from enhanced e-books with multimedia features. But when kids were asked o ne plot question for each story, (i.e., ―Why did x do y?‖), there was no difference between the print book readers and the enhanced e-book readers.
Transcript
7/28/2019 Should it be Print or Digital Books for Young Readers
Print or digital? Adults grapple with which is the best way to read — not only for themselves,
but especially when it comes to their kids. Whether or not parents prefer print books over interactive e-books for their kids, the question is, what’s actually better for them?
Depends on what you’re trying to achieve. According to a study of a small group of parents
released today by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center , kids age 3 to 6 remembered more narrativedetails — ―What happened in the story?‖ — from print books than from enhanced e-books with
multimedia features.
But when kids were asked one plot question for each story, (i.e., ―Why did x do y?‖), there was
no difference between the print book readers and the enhanced e-book readers.
Parents’ comments showed a wide range of reactions. Some parents appreciated the iPad’s effecton their young readers.
―They’re able to hear the words…It came alive. I don’t have to do the reading,‖ said the mother
of a three-year old. ―Not only that, they pay more attention to the iPad. Sound effects were an
excellent idea — they like the books with sound effects.‖
Another parent appreciated the e- books’ prompts. ―Actually.. [I liked the e- book] because I don’t
know what questions to ask sometimes and the iPad showed what to repeat and say,‖ said amother of a five-year old boy.
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For this ―quick study,‖ which researchers recognize is limited by the small number of thosesurveyed, the intent is to help guide more comprehensive research in the future.
―This whole explosion of e- books has been great, and we love seeing what’s happening with theinnovation, but now it’s time to start thinking more purposefully and thoughtfully into what goesinto the creation of an e- book,‖ Chiong said.
Researchers advise that e-book designers be discriminating about the types of features they addto enhanced e- books, ―especially when those features do not directly relate to the story,‖ the
study states. Parents should also be able to have more control over settings to features so theycan tailor the reading experience to their own needs.
Researchers believe a similar study should be done with a larger and more representative sample
of participants and books, and should examine what types, combinations, and placement of e-
book features help or hinder learning and conversation, and should explore how different populations (e.g., lower income families, non-native English speaking families) use them.
