Khalia G. Booth EDUC 7201T T6B: Seminar Appl/Thry and Research II Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 Professor O’Connor-Petruso May 11, 2011 LITERACY AND TECHNOLOGY

Table of Contents Introduction…3 Statement of the Problem…4 Literature Review Overview…5 Statement of the Hypothesis…6 Method…7 Internal and External Validity…12 Data…14 References…21

Introduction As a student teacher and a citizen of the 21 st Century, I am witnessing the transformation of literacy as it moves from print to digital media. I firmly believe that the students of today need to become acquainted, and taught how to use, manage, and learn effectively from the technology that will be their future. I think that the educational theorist that can be applied best to the changing modes of technology that will be the core of my future career as an educator is Jerome Bruner with his belief that learning is an active, ever-changing construct that can be acquired by the environment in which one lives (Takaya, 2008). If today’s students are going to be able to master their technological future, they must be surrounded by computers, literacy programs that incorporate e-readers/reading software, and adults who are willing to integrate the facets of their world within the classroom.

Statement of the Problem The attainment of literacy is an ongoing issue in American education. Debates have raged within education circles as to how, what, and when is the best time, age, and education tool to be used to help children achieve functional literacy. It’s become increasingly clear that it is not enough to recognize sight words and be able to read aloud from a written narrative. It is necessary that in order to be fully literate, readers need to actually understand what it is that they’re reading. At P.S. X, several students in Ms. Y’s class have difficulty with reading comprehension, despite various reading strategies presented within class time to aid their literacy skills. Can the presence of electronic books with their built-in dictionaries, accessible highlighting, and re-sizable text assist these students in their reading comprehension skills?

Literature Review Overview Technology Pros: Easy access to yearly student progress for teachers.(Balajthy, 2007) Adapting the technology to the current teaching practices (i.e. Reader’s Workshop model) can help enhance/expand possibilities for learning. (Handsfield, Dean, & Cielocha, 2009; Hamilton, B., 2009; Labbo, May 2005; Larson, 2008; Zawilinski, Zucker, & Invernizzi, 2008) Infusing multimedia content in daily lessons help make school material memorable and the concepts clearer to students (Abrami, Chambers, Cheung, Gifford, Madden, Slavin, & Tucker, 2008) Technology Cons: Lack of money/investment for new software/computers, teacher reluctance/unfamiliarity with current technology (Bell, Judge, & Puckett, 2006; Lovell & Phillips, Winter 09-10)

Statement of the Hypothesis Over a period of two-to-three weeks, fifteen fifth grade students scoring Levels 1 and 2 on their fourth grade English Language Arts examinations will be presented with the opportunity to read a book of their choice chosen through a pre-test survey. Separated into two groups, the students will read the book through an electronic reader or traditional print media as part of a treatment which will determine whether print media or an electronic reader will provide the students with the best chance for improving literacy.

Method Participants Fifteen fifth grade students were chosen from Ms. Y’s class at an urban public school known as P.S. X, located in Brooklyn, New York. These students have received Levels 1 and 2 scores on their Fourth Grade English Language Arts examinations. Fourteen of the students have attained their eleventh birthday, with one being twelve years of age at the time of the intervention. Thirteen of the participants are of West Indian background, one is of Hispanic origin and the fifteenth participant is of Eastern European descent. Ten of the participants’ parents are currently employed full time, while three of the participants’ parents are working part-time. Two of the participants’ parents have been searching for employment. Eight of the participants’ parents who are working full-time commuted to Manhattan, while five of the participants’ parents worked in Brooklyn.

Methods, Part 2 Instrument(s) The intervention used for the participants involved three separate consent forms: one for Principal Z of P.S. X, one for the parents of the participants, and the last is for the participants. Two surveys have been created for the participants along with two reading comprehension examinations. The two reading comprehension examinations were brief examinations created from the EdHelper website ( the first was a short story that the participants had been reading for class and the second test was on the treatment book. A web-based electronic reader such as the Kindle for PC and traditional print books will be used as part of the treatment for the participants.

Methods, Part 3: Research Design Quasi-Experimental Group Design Present Survey Pre-Test O Treatment X1 X2 Post Test O Post-Survey Participants were randomly grouped into the two treatment groups.

Methods, Part 4: Procedure: After selecting the participants for the treatment, a general survey will be presented to the students to gauge their interest in the treatment and the type of books they would be interested in reading via Kindle or traditional print media. After the survey, comes a brief pre-test, which will examine the students’ reading comprehension skills. The survey and the pre-test will determine the book that will be used for the treatment. They will also help in assessing which students would benefit from the electronic reader or traditional print media. The students will be separated into two groups. Both groups will receive a treatment. Group 1 (X1) will read a book selected from the survey via the Kindle-for-PC program, while Group 2 (X2) will read the same book selected from the survey via traditional print media. After a two-week session of the treatment for both groups, a post-test will be administered to examine whether the students’ level of reading comprehension increased. A post-test survey will be presented to the students to help the reflect on their experience and whether the act of reading increased in favorability to gauge the students’ receptivity to the treatment.

Internal and External Validity

Threats to External Validity Pre-Test Treatment Students might have prior knowledge of the reasons why they are having a treatment due to poor literacy skills, which might produce a negative reaction to the pre-test. Treatment Diffusion As students take the treatment, there may be discussion amongst the participants about the treatment. Experimenter Effects Prior knowledge of the students’ reading skills might inform the reading level of the book chosen for the treatment. Novelty Effect Students will be exposed to a computer program that can give them the ability to download a book within a second, thus giving them a favorability and improved reaction to the presence of new technology.

Data, Page 1:

Data, Page 2:

Data, Page 3:

Data Correlation

Data, Page 4:

Data Correlation 2

Bell Curve Data for Pre-Test Reading Scores for Group 2: SD=14.3 M=

References Abrami, P.C., Chambers, B., Cheung, A., Gifford, R., Madden, N.A., Slavin, R.E., and Tucker, B.J. Technology Infusion in Success for All: Reading Outcomes for First Graders (September 2008) The Elementary School Journal, 109(1) Balajthy, E. (November 2007) Technology and Current Reading/Literacy Assessment Strategies The Reading Teacher, 61(3), pp DOI: /RT Barone, D. and Wright, T. E. (December 2008/January 2009) Literacy Instruction with Digital and Media Technologies Bell, S.M., Judge, S., and Puckett, K. Closing the Digital Divide: Update From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (September/October 2006) The Journal of Educational Research Vol. 100(No. 1) pp Blachowicz, C. L.; Bates, A.; Berne, J., Bridgman, T.; Chaney, J., and Perney, J. (2009) Technology and At-Risk Young Readers and Their Classrooms Reading Psychology, 30, pgs doi: / Britten, J.S. and Cassady, J.C. The Technology Integration Assessment Instrument: Understanding Planned Use of Technology by Classroom Teachers (2005) Computers in the Schools Vol. 22, No. 3/4, pp doi: /J025v22n03_05 Burnett, C. Research into literacy and technology in primary classrooms: an exploration of understandings generated by recent studies (2009) Journal of Research in Reading, Vol. 32, 1, pp 22–37 DOI: /j x Chera, P.; Littleton, K.; Wood, C. (May 4, 2006) Interactions with Talking Books: phonological awareness affects boys’ use of talking books Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 22, pp Hamilton, B. Making the Most of a Teaching Partner (2009) The Reading Teacher, 63(3), pp. 245–248 DOI: /RT Handsfield, L. J., Dean, T. R., and Cielocha, K. M. Becoming Critical Consumers and Producers of Text: Teaching Literacy with Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 (September 2009) The Reading Teacher, 63(1), pp. 40–50 DOI: /RT

References, Part 2: Kervin, L. and Mantei, J. Using computers to support children as authors: An Examination of Three Cases (March 2009) Korat, O. and Shamir, A. (October 25, 2006) Electronic Books versus adult readers: Effects on children’s emergent literacy as a function of social class Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2007), 23, pp doi: /j x Labbo, L. From Morning Message to Digital Morning Message: Moving from the tried and true to the new (May 2005) The Reading Teacher Vol. 58, No. 8 DOI: /RT Larson, L.C. Electronic Reading Workshop: Beyond Books with New Literacies and Instructional Technologies (October 2008) Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52(2), pp DOI: /JAAL Lee, Y. and Vail, C.O. Computer-Based Reading Instruction for Young Children with Disabilities (Winter 2005) Lovell, M. and Phillips, L. Commercial Software Programs Approved for Teaching Reading and Writing in the Primary Grades: Another Sobering Reality (Winter 09-10) Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(2), pp Moallem, M., Kermani, H. and Chen, S. Handheld, Wireless Computers: Can they improve learning and instruction? (2005) Computers in the Schools Vol. 22, No. ¾, 2005, pp DOI: /J025v22n03_08 Oakley, G. and Jay, J. “Making Time” for Reading: Factors That Influence the Success of Multimedia Reading in the Home (November 2008) The Reading Teacher, 62(3), pp DOI: /RT Pearman, C.J. Independent Reading of CD-ROM Storybooks: Measuring Comprehension With Oral Retellings (May 2008) The Reading Teacher, 61(8), pp. 594–602 DOI: /RT Rhodes, J. A. and Milby, T. M. (November 2007) Teacher-Created Electronic Books: Integrating Technology to Support Readers with Disabilities The Reading Teacher, 61 (3), pp DOI: /RT

References, Part 3: Sternberg, B.J., Kaplan, K. A., and Borck, J.E. Enhancing Adolescent Literacy Achievement Through Integration of Technology in the Classroom (July/August/September 2007) Reading Research Quarterly 42/3 pp doi: /RRQ Takaya, Keiichi Jerome Bruner’s Theory of Education: From Early Bruner to Later Bruner (2008) Interchange, Vol. 39/1, pp. 1–19 DOI: /s U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report (September 2010) Institute of Education Sciences Zawilinski, L. HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking The Reading Teacher, 62(8), pp. 650–661 DOI: /RT Zucker, T.A. and Invernizzi, M. My eSorts and Digital Extensions of Word Study (May 2008) The Reading Teacher Vol. 61 (8), pp. 654–658 DOI: /RT Zucker, T.A., Moody, A.K., McKenna, M.C. (2009) The Effects of Electronic Books on Pre-Kindergarten-to-Grade 5 Students’ Literacy and Language Outcomes: A Research Synthesis J. Educational Computing Research, Vol. 40(1) 47-87