The Effect of Using Electronic Books During Sustained Silent Reading on the Reading Achievement and Motivation of First Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on reading achievement and motivation of using digital texts versus traditional, printed texts with first grade students during Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Fifty-four first grade students from two existing classes at a suburban elementary school in the mid-Atlantic region participated in the study. All students were reading on an average or above average reading level. The measurement tool used to evaluate reading achievement was the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment and the tool used to evaluate motivation was the Motivation to Read Profile-Revised (MRP-R). This study utilized a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design, in which students’ reading achievement and motivation scores from December 2015 were compared to their scores from March 2015, following three months of intervention. The treatment and control groups did not differ significantly on their pre-test motivation and achievement. During the treatment period, students in the control group were only permitted to read traditional, printed texts during their daily 30 minutes of SSR, while students in the experimental group were only permitted to read digital texts. While both groups showed positive increases in reading achievement and motivation, results indicated the gains in reading levels were not statistically significant for the students who read digital texts compared to those who did not (t=0.16, p=0.88) and results indicated the gains in reading motivation were not statistically significant, as well (t=-0.78, p=0.44). Therefore, the null hypotheses were not rejected. With the continued drive to integrate technology into the classroom, further research is necessary to determine the impact on achievement and motivation of using digital texts with school-age students in all grades and with varying degrees of reading proficiency.