The influence of electronic books on third grade reading comprehension.

Abstract

This study investigated the silent reading comprehension of three third grade participants who struggle to decode grade level material. The participants were given seven passages, four from a paper book and three from an e-book. After reading, the participants completed graphic organizers and met with the researcher to retell the story. The amount of what the participant recalled was estimated using a retelling guide. The amount of points the participant obtained from the retelling guide when reading from a paper book and reading from an e-book was compared. Data indicated that all participants retold more literal information when they read from an e-book. All participants also completed a survey to express his or her feelings about reading each type of text. Two participants preferred using an iPad to read and one preferred reading from a paper book. The participant who preferred reading from a paper book also had the smallest increase in comprehension score. Another participant stated that she would have liked the e-book more if it had a pronunciation feature that read individual words for her. In conclusion, it was found that there is no harm in giving participants the choice of reading a paper book or e-book in an elementary classroom. Also, e-books are most supportive for struggling readers when a pronunciation tool is provided.