Reading in the Digital Age

The article provides an overview of current research on the problem of children's reading in a digital society. The transformation of children's reading practices in connection with the transition from the printed format of books to the digital one is considered. The article analyzes the results of studies showing the influence of different book formats (printed, digital, audiobooks) and various interactive functions, both in printed and digital books, on children's understanding of the content of what they read, learning, communication, the ability to concentrate and hold attention, the process of interaction between an adult and a child during joint reading. The majority of the researches show that parents choose traditional printed books with illustrations as the first books for a child. Digital books arouse an ambiguous attitude among them. In books with interactive features, parents see, first of all, the learning potential for the child, although they can have both a positive and a negative impact. Parents' concerns about new book formats are primarily related to possible harm to the child's health due to time spent at the screen of a digital device. In the process of reading digital books, parents devote significantly less time to their children than when reading printed books. Further prospects for the development of the digital format of children's books make it very important to study their impact on the development of a child and the formation of his/her reading skills.

1. Kozhevnikova E.A. Knizhnyi format “graficheskii roman” kak sredstvo upravleniya chteniem [Graphic Novel Book Format as a Reading Management Tool] [Electronic resource]. Kul'tura: teoriya i praktika [Culture: theory and practice], 2022. Vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 7—8. URL: https://sciup.org/144162278 (Accessed 20.08.2024). (In Russ.).
2. Kozhevnikova E.A., Diner E.V. Sovremennye tendentsii predstavleniya illyustrativnogo materiala v detskoi knige [Modern trends in the presentation of illustrative material in children's books] [Electronic resource]. Obshchestvo. Nauka. Innovatsii (NPK—2021) [Society. Science. Innovations (NPK — 2021)]: Sbornik statei XXI vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii: 12 aprelya—30 aprelya 2021 g.). Kirov: Vyatskii gosudarstvennyi universitet, 2021. Vol. 1, pp. 248—253. URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=46138427 (Accessed 21.08.2024). (In Russ.).
3. Pravitel'stvo Rossiiskoi Federatsii. Kontseptsii programmy podderzhki detskogo i yunosheskogo chteniya v Rossiiskoi Federatsii. Rasporyazhenie Pravitel'stva Rossiiskoi Federatsii ot 3 iyunya 2017 goda № 1155-r [Concepts of a program to support children and youth reading in the Russian Federation. Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 3, 2017 No. 1155-r] [Electronic resource]. Elektronnyi fond pravovykh i normativno-tekhnicheskikh dokumentov [Electronic fund of legal and normative-technical documents]. URL: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/436739637?ysclid=ly4xobusue175728353 (Accessed 20.06.2024). (In Russ.).
4. Sobkin V.S., Skobelcina K.N., Ivanova A.I Lyubimye knigi sovremennykh doshkol'nikov [Favorite Books of Modern Preschoolers] [Electronic resource]. Sovremennoe doshkol'noe obrazovanie: Teoriya i praktika [Modern Preschool Education: Theory and Practice], 2013. Vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 30—38. URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=21582918 (Accessed 21.08.2024). (In Russ.).
5. Solntseva O.V., Ezopova S.A., Kaganets S.V. Fenomenologiya chitatel'skoi kompetentnosti detei starshego doshkol'nogo vozrasta [Phenomenology of Reading Competence of Older Preschool Children]. Sovremennoe doshkol'noe obrazovanie [Modern preschool education], 2023. Vol. 119, no. 5, pp. 4—17. DOI:10.24412/2782-4519-2023-5119-4-17 (In Russ.).
6. Cheng K., Tsai C. The interaction of child-parent shared reading with an augmented reality (AR) picture book and parents' conceptions of AR learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 2016. Vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 203—222. DOI:10.1111/bjet.12228
7. Clark C., Picton I., Cole A., Bonafede F. Children and young people’s reading in 2024 [Electronic resource]. London: National Literacy Trust, 2024. 33 p. URL: https://nlt.cdn.ngo/media/documents/Children_and_young_peoples_writing_in_2024.pdf (Accessed 23.08.2024).
8. Wu H.K., Lee S.W.Y., Chang H.Y., Liang J.C. Current status opportunities and challenges of augmented reality in education. Computers & Education, 2013. Vol. 62, pp. 41—49. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.024
9. Reich S.M., Yau J.C., Xu Y., Muskat T., Uvalle J., Cannata D. Digital or Print? A Comparison of Preschoolers’ Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Engagement From a Print Book and an e-Book. AERA Open, 2019. Vol. 5, no. 3. 16 p. DOI:10.1177/2332858419878389
10. Eggleston C., Wang X.C., Choi Y. Mother-toddler shared reading with electronic versus print books: Mothers’ language use and perspectives. Early Education and Development, 2021. Vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 1152—1174. DOI:10.1080/10409289.2021.1943638
11. Chang K.E., Tai Y.W., Liu T.C., Sung Y.T. Embedding dialog reading into AR picture books. Interactive Learning Environments, 2023. 17 p. Preprint. DOI:10.1080/10494820.2023.2192758
12. Etta R.A. Parent preferences: E-books versus print books. In Kim J.E., Hassinger-Das B. (eds.), Reading in the digital age: Young children’s experiences with e-books. Cham: Springer, 2019, pp. 89—101. DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-20077-0_6
13. Hui L., Zhang T., Woolley J., An J., Wang F. Exploring factors influencing young children's learning from storybooks: Interactive and multimedia features. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2023. Vol. 233, article ID 105680. 5 p. DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105680
14. Frederico A. Embodiment and agency in digital reading: Preschoolers making meaning with literary apps. Doctor of philosophy dissertation. Cambridge, 2018. 332 p. DOI:10.17863/CAM.31007
15. Zivan M., Vaknin S., Peleg N., Ackerman R., Horowitz-Kraus T. Higher theta-beta ratio during screen-based vs. printed paper is related to lower attention in children: An EEG study. Plos one, 2023. Vol. 18, no. 5, article ID e0283863. 16 p. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0283863
16. Christ T., Wang C., Chiu M.M., Cho H. Kindergartener’s meaning making with multimodal app books: The relations amongst reader characteristics, app book characteristics, and comprehension outcomes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2019. Vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 357—372. DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.01.003
17. Korat O., Or T. How new technology influences parent — child interaction: The case of e-Book reading. First Lang, 2010. Vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 139—154. DOI:10.1177/0142723709359242
18. Kucirkova N., Flewitt R. Understanding parents’ conflicting beliefs about children’s digital book reading. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2022. Vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 157—181. DOI:10.1177/1468798420930361
19. Kucirkova N., Grøver V. The Importance of Embodiment and Agency in Parents’ Positive Attitudes Towards Shared Reading with Their Children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 2024. Vol. 52, pp. 221—230. DOI:10.1007/s10643-022-01415-1
20. Labbo L.D., Kuhn M.R. Weaving chains of affect and cognition: a young child’s understanding of CD-ROM talking books. Journal of Literacy Research, 2000. Vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 187—210. DOI:10.1080/10862960009548073
21. Lauricella A.R., Barr R., Calvert S.L. Parent—child interactions during traditional and computer storybook reading for children’s comprehension: Implications for electronic storybook design. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 2014. Vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 17—25. DOI:10.1016/j.ijcci.2014.07.001
22. McNab K., Fielding-Barnsley R. Digital texts, iPads, and families: An examination of families’, Shared Reading Behaviours [Electronic resource]. The International Journal of Learning, 2014. Vol. 20, pp. 53—62. URL: https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/journal_contribution/Digital_Texts_iPads_and_Families_An_Examination_of_Families_Shared_Reading_Behaviours/22921388/1 (Accessed 26.08.2024).
23. Moody A.K., Justice L.M., Cabell S.Q. Electronic versus traditional storybooks: relative influence on preschool children’s engagement and communication. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2010. Vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 294—313. DOI:10.1177/1468798410372162
24. Nicholas M., Paatsch L. Mothers’ views on shared reading with their two-year olds using printed and electronic texts: Purpose, confidence and practice. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2021. Vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 3—26. DOI:10.1177/146879841879261
25. Pandith P., John S., Bellon-Harn M.L., Manchaiah V. Parental perspectives on storybook reading in Indian home contexts. Early Childhood Education Journal, 2022. Vol. 50, pp. 315—325. DOI:10.1007/s10643-020-01147-0
26. Piotrowski J.T., Krcmar M. Reading with hotspots: Young children’s responses to touchscreen stories. Computers in Human Behavior. 2017. Vol. 70, pp. 328—335. DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.010
27. Richter A., Courage M.L. Comparing electronic and paper storybooks for preschoolers: Attention, engagement, and recall. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2017. Vol. 48, pp. 92—102. DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2017.01.002
28. Savva M., Higgins S., Beckmann N. Meta-analysis examining the effects of electronic storybooks on language and literacy outcomes for children in grades Pre-K to grade 2. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 2022. Vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 526—564. DOI:10.1111/jcal.12623
29. Dowdall N., Melendez-Torres G.J., Murray L., Gardner F., Hartford L., Cooper P.J. Shared picture book reading interventions for child language development: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Development, 2020. Vol. 91, no. 2, pp. e383—e399. DOI:10.1111/cdev.13225
30. Son S.-H.C., Butcher K.R. Effects of varied multimedia animations in digital storybooks: A randomized controlled trial with preschoolers. Journal of Research in Reading, 2024. 20 p. Preprint. DOI:10.1111/1467-9817.12452
31. Strouse G.A., Ganea P.A. A print book preference: Caregivers report higher child enjoyment and more high-quality adult-child interactions when reading print than electronic books. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 2017. Vol. 12, pp. 8—15. DOI:10.1016/j.ijcci.2017.02.001
32. Sun H., Roberts A.C., Bus A. Bilingual children's visual attention while reading digital picture books and story retelling. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2022. Vol. 215, no. 2, article ID 105327. 33 p. DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105327
33. Takacs Z.K., Bus A.G. How pictures in picture storybooks support young children’s story comprehension: An eye-tracking experiment. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2018. Vol. 174, pp. 1—12. DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2018.04.013
34. Noble C., Sala G., Peter M., Lingwood J., Rowland C., Gobet F., Pine J. The impact of shared book reading on children’s language skills: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 2019. Vol. 28, article ID 100290. 10 p. DOI:10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100290
35. Undheim M., Vangsnes V. Digitale fortellinger i barnehagen. Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 2017. Vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 1—15. DOI:10.7577/nbf.1761
36. Wang L., Lee H., Ju D.Y. Impact of digital content on young children’s reading interest and concentration for books. Behaviour & Information Technology, 2019. Vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 1—8. DOI:10.1080/0144929X.2018.1502807