To help children become better readers, a Kansas State University professor thinks they may need to spend less time with their noses stuck in books. Lotta Larson, an assistant professor of elementary education, is finding that electronic readers allow children to interact with texts in ways they don't interact with the printed word.
Since fall 2009, Larson has been using the Amazon Kindle in her work with a pair of second-graders. The e-reader has features that make the text audible, increase or decrease font size and let readers make notes about the book. "It's interesting to see the kinds of things these kids have been able to do," Larson said.
She said the ideal outcome would be for teachers to improve reading instruction by tailoring it to each student. Tests already have shown improvement in the students' perceptions of their own reading ability. Larson said the next step would be to gather quantitative data on how reading scores are affected.
Larson will present the work April 25-28 at the International Reading Association Conference in Chicago. She's also talking with middle school teachers about how downloadable e-books might appeal to young teen boys who are reluctant readers. Read more at ScienceDaily
online.
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