Running Head: E-BOOKS EFFECT ON COMPREHENSION 1

E-Books and their Effect on Comprehension:

A Comparative Study of E-Books’ in an Elementary Montessori Classroom

Ariel Morales

Franciscan University of Steubenville

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A. Introduction
In recent years, reading has evolved from paper-based text to electronic based texts or e-

books which has led to an increase in the use of tablets and e-readers. In 2014, a nationally

representative survey of over 1500 U.S. parents found that 62% of 2- to 10-year-olds had access

to either a tablet or an e-reader for electronic reading at home, and parents reported that about

half of those children were regularly engaged in electronic reading (Rideout, 2014).

In conducting this action research, it is my hope to explore the impact, if any, that

electronic books have on reading comprehension. E-texts are defined as any written text

available to read on a tablet, phone or similar device. Technology has changed the way in which

we read and perceive text. With emerging technology and electronic texts gaining popularity it

can be difficult to distinguish what determines a high-quality, effective e-book. Zipke (2014)

offers guidance, examples, and makes references to reviews and studies throughout her article.

The research evaluation is organized into four parts, the interaction, sounds, navigation, and skill

instruction associated with the app. Using students and her own personal judgment she is able to

review and evaluate several e-texts. In addition to knowing students learning styles, Zipke states

in conclusion that educators must become educated consumers.

This research is meaningful and impactful as it involves perception of environmental

texts and the fast-paced evolution of technology that students are and will be experiencing.

Technology is an integral part of life in the 21st century which is why it is important that

educators prepare their students for the world they will be encountering in the work force.

B. Purpose
With the rise of technology and the use of tablet devices in the classroom this action

research has relevance to 21st Century learning. Technology must have purpose and should
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enhance the learning experience, which is the purpose of this study. This study will investigate

the use of e-books in classrooms and determine their effectiveness specifically answering the

question: what effect does reading electronic texts (e-texts) have on comprehension in an

elementary school classroom?

The methodology used will be a Primary Research Data Collection on students’ reading

comprehension in the form of recorded anecdotal notes taken during the sessions and a

comprehension scoring rubric. In conducting the research, I hope to present an electronic copy of

a book as well as a physical copy of the same book to elementary aged students. After presenting

the book, the students will answer pre-determined comprehension questions in the form of a dice

game. These students will be chosen based on their current reading level and their age.

It is anticipated that the results of this research will show that e-books will have little to

no effect on comprehension. Given the low number of participants it will be difficult to conclude

and generalize the results of the study. It is further proposed that students may get distracted with

the e-book features which may make it difficult for students to focus and comprehend the text.

There is still much research to be done on e-books and their impact on education.

C. Review of Literature
Research conducted regarding e-books and their effect of comprehension involves many

components including: reading across grade levels, parent involvement, global use of

technology, and using technology as an instructional strategy. The studies reviewed below touch

upon the use of e-book in the classroom and the various components mentioned above.

Dore et al. (2018) write about the importance of parent involvement in reading and study

the affect that parent involvement has on children who read e-books. The study compares
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preschoolers’ comprehension of an e-book in three conditions: parent reading, in which parents

read the e-book to their children, independent with audio, in which children read the e-book

independently with audio narration, and independent without audio, in which children read the e-

book independently but do not have audio narration. After reading the book, children were asked

to freely recall the story, retell the story page by page, and answer story comprehension

questions. A total of 135 four- and five-year-old children, 67 of which were girls, participated in

the study. Participants were recruited by telephone and email from databases of families willing

to participate in research at laboratories based at two mid-Atlantic universities. Participants were

predominately white, middle-class, and monolingual. Parents provided written informed consent,

and children provided verbal assent before entering the testing room. All children received a

certificate of appreciation and a sticker after completing the study. The results suggested that

children comprehend some content from e-books using audio narration, indicating that using e-

books independently may be a worthwhile activity for preliterate children while caregivers are

otherwise occupied. However, results also show that children recall the most information about

the e-book after reading with a parent. (Dore et al., 2018).

This article was very easy to read and did a good job of explaining the research in a

straightforward and clear manner. I also really liked the use of pre-readers in this study and think

that the researchers did an excellent job of recognizing the children by giving them a sticker and

a certificate after the study. One thing that I questioned was the use of only one demographic. It

might have been interesting to see the difference that ethnicity could have made on the study. It

also would have been interesting to see this study performed with first or second grade students,

as they are still developing early literacy skills. This article is very relevant to my research as I

will be conducting a survey focused on the use of e-books in the classroom and at home. The
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idea that parents are a vital part of the reading process and play an important role in a child’s

learning to read is not newfound information but the use of e-books has truly shaped the course

of the upcoming generation and their concept of print. It is important that teachers and parents

realize that the use of e-books is not to be passive but that actively reading aloud with an e-book

makes an impact on the child’s learning and comprehension.

Recently, electronic books (e-books) have become prevalent amongst the general

population and are beginning to make their way into schools all over the world. In South Africa,

a number of schools have integrated tablets into the classroom with the promise of replacing

traditional books (Sackstein, Spark, and Jenkins, 2015). In order to realize the potential of e-

books and their associated devices within an academic context, where reading speed and

comprehension are critical for academic performance and personal growth, the effectiveness of

reading from a tablet screen should be evaluated. This is the focus of the study conducted by

Sackstein et al. (2015). In conducting the study, the researchers asked the questions “are students

able to comprehend information read from the screen of an iPad as effectively as they are able to

from paper?” and “are students able to read as quickly from an iPad screen as they are able to

from paper?”. They conducted “quasi-experimental research using a within subjects design”

(Sackstein et al., 2015) in order to compare the reading speed and comprehension performance of

68 African students. The results of this study indicated that the majority of participants read

faster on an iPad. It was also found that comprehension scores did not differ significantly

between the two media. For students, these results provide evidence that tablets and e-books are

suitable tools for reading and learning, and therefore, can be used for academic work. For

educators, the research suggests that e-books can be introduced without concern that reading

performance and comprehension will be hindered. (Sackstein et al., 2015).

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This article was very interesting as it gave a global perspective to reading e-books and

comprehension. The researchers did an excellent job of supporting their research with other

research and broke down the concepts of comprehension, reading speed, and fluency in a clear

and concise manner. I really enjoyed reading this article and found it to be straightforward and

easy to follow. However, I wondered whether studying 68 students was enough to generalize e-

texts and their effect on comprehension. The authors reflected upon the small sample used in the

study and labeled it as a limitation. Another limitation to the study was attributed to the varied

prior levels of exposure to using iPads in an educational context. The authors state that it may

have influenced the results of the Reading Speed and Comprehension Scores (Sackstein et al.,

2015). The findings of this article were beneficial for my research as I plan to research the effects

of e-text on comprehension. For the future, it might be interesting to look what effect e-texts

have according to culture or even study the effectiveness of e-texts in learning a new language.

E-texts are on the rise across grade levels. Schugar, Smith, and Schugar (2013) conduct a

review of e-texts for students in grades k-6 across different content areas. Using previously

published studies and surveys from other researchers as well as personal experiences, the authors

look at various e-texts and review how teachers can effectively implement them in the

classroom. After reviewing various e-books, the authors were able to rate the book based on

vocabulary and inference support, ratio of supportive interactions to distracting interactions, time

required to engage in interactions, and frequency and placement of interactions. In conclusion

many of the texts reviewed had unnecessary interactions and distracting components. The

authors imply that understanding student learning styles and previewing texts are key

components to determining whether a text will be effective.

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These reviews were clear and well defined, while the tips given were research based. The

authors also did a good job of assessing books for various grade levels and across content areas.

However, there is no set study being conducted. It is simply a review built upon others research.

This article will be useful in referencing upper elementary texts as well as determining what an

effective e-book looks like in the action research study. In terms of future research, I would like

to see the effect on e-texts in middle or high school level learning.

Vocabulary development is a large component of learning to read. In a study done by Lee

(2017) 79 first grade students from different classrooms of four different elementary schools

participated in a pre-assessment, post-assessment, and direct instruction. Nine of the students

were considered “skilled readers”, 32 “average”, and 38 “poor”. During instruction, e-books with

audio support were used to support learning. In result, teacher word explanations led to greater

word learning compared to when word explanation was not provided. One major limitation in

this study was the lack of empirical evidence concerning the extent to which e-books can

increase vocabulary abilities of young children with varied reading abilities. However, it is

further stated by the researcher that (1) incidental word learning is not likely to occur after a

single exposure of the e-book with audio narration support, (2) word explanation is an important

addition to the e-book with audio narration support in order to increase word learning, and (3) a

combination of e-book reading and degree of direct vocabulary instruction should be

differentiated in order for struggling readers to maximize their word learning from the e-book

reading activities. This study contributes an educational implication of how to effectively use e-

books with audio narration support by providing empirical research evidences of e-book reading

with and without word explanation.

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This article was very well written and very clear in its objective in determining whether

e-books were effective in vocabulary building. The author also does a good job of making the

research clearly defined and represented in the data charts and graphs. However, the researcher

only gave teachers 30 minutes of preparation time before sending in the students for instruction. I

wondered if the results might differ if there were more preparation time for teachers. Overall, the

article was very well written and clear to follow. The topic was interesting, captivating, and

relevant to the research project I will be conducting related to the effective use of e-texts in the

elementary classroom. This article, written in 2017, was very recent and up to date. However,

there was still mention of lack of research done regarding e-texts. It would be interesting to know

what research is currently being done in regard to learning with e-texts.

D. Methodology

I am currently working as a part-time intern at a Montessori school and decided to

conduct the research with some of my students. I grouped students based on their assessment

scores, observations, and current reading levels. I then chose two students for each group. The

first group was made up of “high” readers. The second group was made up of “middle” readers,

and the third group was made up of “low” readers. The high readers were reading above grade

level expectations and excelled in reading. The middle readers were those reading at grade level.

Finally, low readers were those reading below grade level and are considered at risk.

Student A in each group was given an e-book version of Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the

Hat” and was asked to answer pre-written comprehension questions in the form of a dice game.

Conversely, Student B was given the physical version of “The Cat in the Hat” and participated in

the same game. The game required the students to roll a dice and answer the correlating question.

For example, if the student rolled a 1, they were required to answer a question regarding the
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setting. (See Appendix B). Students using the e-book were given direct instruction as to how to

use the iPad device and read the e-book. All the students experienced a read-aloud and were able

to follow along with their own copy of the book regardless of their reading level.

Apart from the research conducted, literature reviews were completed in order to gain

background knowledge of the topic and insight as to research previously conducted on the topic.

The findings of these literature reviews are written in the above section.

E. Findings

Comprehension Scores
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
High Level Readers Middle Readers Low Readers

E-Book Physical Text

Graph 1. Depicting the number of comprehension questions answered correctly based on

the rubric provided below

Student A of the high leveled readers had read the book before and gave sufficient

responses to the comprehension questions, getting a score of 15 out of 18 on the rubric.

Similarly, Student B of the high leveled readers reported having read the book before and gave
E-BOOKS EFFECT ON COMPREHENSION 10

sufficient responses. Interestingly, they tended to go above and beyond the expectations giving

more detail than was expected and received a score of 18 out of 18.

Student A of the middle level readers or on grade level readers had read the book before

and seemed intrigued by the e-book. They enjoyed the narration and images presented in the e-

book. When asked the questions however, the student was unable to give ample detail on some

of the questions and only received an overall score of 13 out of the expected 18. When given the

physical text, Student B of the middle level readers was only somewhat familiar with the text.

However, the student was able to answer the questions in sufficient detail and received a score of

15 out of 18.

Finally, Student A of the low or at-risk readers was given the e-book and seemed to get

distracted easily. They reported knowing the story and having read it before. However, the

student was unable to give sufficient detail and only received a score of 9 out of the expected 18.

Further, Student B was able to answer in sufficient detail and earned a score of 15 out of 18. The

student had read the book before and seemed familiar with the story.

In reviewing the data, there seemed to be a slight difference in the scoring from e-book to

physical text. The students who read from the e-book earned lower scores than those who read

from the physical text. It must be noted however, that given the small number of participants

there can be no conclusion as to whether or not the e-book has an effect on readers’

comprehension.

F. Recommendations
Given the results of this research, I would like to see the effects of e-books on

comprehension on a wider scale. I only used 6 students in this study, and they were all at the
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elementary level. It would be beneficial to have more participants as well as varied ages and

grade levels. These limitations make it hard to generalize and make conclusions. Further, I

realized that I had failed to survey the students previous experience with e-books. If I were to

conduct this study again, I would definitely be sure to survey the participants.

Concerning this field of research, there is still much research to be conducted. It would be

interesting to see if there are any current studies being conducted regarding the effects of e-

books. I would also be interested to see the varied responses to e-book based on generational

norms. Further it would be good to conduct research on how often e-books are used in the

classroom. Technology is consistently evolving and developing which can make researching it

difficult.
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G. References
Dore, R.A., Hassinger-das, B., Brezack, N., Valladares, T.L., Paller, A., Vu, L....Hirsh-Pasek, K.

(2018). The parent advantage in fostering children’s e-book comprehension. Early

Childhood Research Quarterly, (44).

Isaacson, Sarah. (2017). The impact of interface on ESL reading comprehension and strategy

use: A comparison of e-books and paper texts. TESOL Journal 8 (4)

Lee, S. (2017). Learning vocabulary through e-book reading of young children with various

reading abilities. Springer Science and Business. 2017.

Rideout, V. (2014). Learning at home: Families educational media use in America. The Joan

Ganz Cooney Center.

Sackstein, S., Spark, L., & Jenkins, A. (2015). Are e-books effective tools for learning? Reading

speed and comprehension: iPad vs. paper. South African Journal of Education, 35(4).

Schugar, H. Smith, C. Schugar, J. (2013). Teaching with interactive picture books in grades k-6.

The Reading Teacher. 66(8).

Zipke, A. (2014). Building an e-book library: Resources for finding the best apps. The Reading

Teacher. 67(5).
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H. Appendix

Appendix A: Rubric for Scoring Comprehension

Name:

0: The student gives no
Scoring descriptive details and
Guidelines: does not stay focused
on the question
Question 1
1: The student gives 1-2 2: The student gives 3-5 3. The student gives more
descriptive details and descriptive details and than 5 descriptive details.
stays mostly focused on stays only focused on the Some details are evident
the question question of inference and go
beyond the text’s literal
meaning

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Total:

Appendix B: Comprehension Questions

Question 1: What is the Setting of the Story? Describe it.
(Alternative Question Form: Where Does the Story Take Place? Describe it.)
Question 2: Who Are the Characters of the Story? Describe One.
Question 3: Compare and Contrast two characters from the story.
(Alternative Question Form: Tell Me How Two Characters are Alike and Different.)
Question 4: Tell Me the Plot of the Story?
(Alternative Question Form: What Happened in the Story?)
Question 5: What Was Your Favorite Part of the Story? Why?
Question 6: What Was the Moral of this Story?
(Alternative Question Form: What Did You Learn From this Story?)