The Impact of E-Book Reading on Young Children’s Emergent Literacy Skills: An Analytical Review

Young children’s use of digital devices is increasing as we progress through the 21st century and handheld and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly available. While older children using tablets to read has been more broadly investigated, less is known about the i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-06, Vol.18 (12), p.6510
Main Authors: López-Escribano, Carmen, Valverde-Montesino, Susana, García-Ortega, Verónica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Children
Children & youth
Childrens picture books
COVID-19
Design
Digital broadcasting
Digital media
E-books
Early literacy
Educational technology
Families & family life
Interactive computer systems
Literacy
Motor skill learning
Multimedia
Parents & parenting
Phonology
Reading comprehension
Review
Skills
Smartphones
Tablet computers
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Summary:Young children’s use of digital devices is increasing as we progress through the 21st century and handheld and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly available. While older children using tablets to read has been more broadly investigated, less is known about the impacts of digital reading on children at the stage of literacy acquisition. An analytical review was conducted on the effects of interactive e-book interventions for young children’s literacy development when compared to (a) listening to print books, (b) regular school programs, and (c) reading non-enhanced and non-interactive e-books. A significant additional beneficial effect of e-book interventions was found for phonological awareness and vocabulary learning based on data from 1138 children in 14 randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies. When e-books are properly selected and used, children develop literacy skills equally well and sometimes better than with print books. Additionally, e-book interventions outperformed the regular school program in the development of literacy skills. Similarly, enhanced e-book conditions revealed benefits over the non-enhanced e-book interventions in literacy skill acquisition. The impact of these findings related to health issues, e-book design, disadvantaged populations, and adult-led e-book sharing is discussed.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph18126510