THE IMPACT OF E-READERS ON COMPREHENSION AND READING INTEREST Dr. Jo Lynn Suell Dr. Donald Ratchford

Purpose The purpose of this study was to increase the reading engagement and comprehension of local high school students who were identified as struggling readers. The objectives of this project were as follows:  Can a summer program increase the reading engagement and comprehension of struggling high school students?  What will be the positive and negative perceptions of participants in the summer reading program?  What will be the impact of reading books on an electronic device (Kindle, 2 nd edition) with a mentor versus reading traditional books?

Methodology Participants:  Twenty high school students were nominated by their teachers to participate in a pilot summer reading program.  Nominations were based on their previous summer Accelerated Reader (AR) and Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) reading test results.  Seventeen high school students began the program (eight- tenth graders and nine-ninth graders), with nine completing.

Methodology Procedure:  Students chose two selections from the required high school grade level summer reading list. The books were downloaded by the researchers onto their Kindle device prior to distribution. Each high school student met weekly for one hour with a university student mentor who was reading the same e-books. University mentors provided technical and reading comprehension support throughout the summer program.  High school participants and university student mentors attended separate orientations in which they were provided with training on how to use the reading devices and additional parameters of the program, after which they were given a Kindle e-reader to use for their summer reading.

Methodology Data Collection:  At the end of the eight week summer reading program, the university mentors submitted a reflection paper which addressed their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the program. The reflections also included comments from their high school student. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted.  Upon returning to high school in the fall, students were administered the STAR and AR reading tests to measure comprehension..  The reading engagement was evaluated by comments to their university mentors.

Reading Results Pre-ProgramPost Program STAR Reading Average AR Book Test Average The measures used to evaluate the impact of the project included: a comparison between 9 th and 10 th STAR and AR reading scores (Table 1) from the summer prior to this pilot program and after the conclusion of this program, an evaluation of the reflections written by university mentors which included feedback from high school students.

University Mentor Reflections  The reflection papers of the university mentors indicated a number of positive themes: high school students found the devices motivating and helpful; working with a mentor kept students on task; and provided a discussion partner to facilitate comprehension of required readings.  The features most commented on were: the ease in accessing the built-in dictionary, light weight, highlighting text and note-taking, bookmarking and control of size of font.

A SWOT analysis of the feedback from all stakeholders indicated that there are specific areas that need to be addressed. The strengths and weaknesses of the program were documented and discussed by all stakeholders (Table 2). SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. Reading scores increased 2. Positive student feedback 3. Only summer reading program available for high school students Weaknesses 1. Limited number of participants 2. Fixed location 3. Restricted to two high school grade levels 4. Availability of e-books Opportunities 1.1. High school summer reading is required 2. Service learning is required for all university students. 3. Expansion of high school required reading list Opportunity-Strength Number of e-books available(O1, O3, S2) Program can be expanded to other grade levels(O1, O2, S1, S2) Program can be expanded to include other schools(S3, O1) Opportunity-Weakness Not all books are available electronically(W4, O3) Training more university mentors (O2, W1) Accessible location(W2) Threats 1. Cost 2. Program location 3. Student motivation to read. Threat-Strength Free program to students(T1, S3) E-readers motivate students to read(T3, S2, S1) Consider offering program at multiple locations(T2, S2, S3) Threat-Weakness Program competes with other summer activities(W1, T3 Transportation to and from the program(T2, W2) Funding(T1, W4)

Discussion  This project was intended as a pilot study to determine if this could be a viable summer reading program that would benefit both high school students. The STAR reading scores showed modest gains of +1.07, the AR book test average rose +19.8, and attitudes expressed by participants were positive. These results indicate that this program is worthy of continuation.  The university mentor reflections revealed a positive perception of the reading program. Mentors expressed a strong desire for this program to continue, but recommended future mentors know more about students’ reading ability and background prior to the project.  The SWOT revealed that this pilot reading program has merit and should be continued. The analysis also indicated that there are opportunities to expand this program to other grade levels and schools.

Discussion  The limitations of this study were the small sample size, lack of demographic information on the high school students, and funding for e-readers and e-books. Timing and location may have limited the number of high school participants.  The overall results of this study have led the researchers to believe that this project should continue and expand with modifications to the data collection and student selection. Difficulties in recruiting students during the summer due to scheduling issues have prompted the researchers to investigate the possibility of adapting the summer reading program into an after school program.