Casey WellsFollow

Date

11-2012

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw

Primary Subject Area

Education, General; Education, Reading; Education, Technology; Education, Secondary

Keywords

Electronic Books, Reading Comprehension, Reading Motivation

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Liberal Studies | Science and Technology Studies

Abstract

The effect of electronic books on the reading comprehension of middle and high school students was examined using an experimental posttest-only control-group design. A convenience sample of 140 randomly assigned middle and high school English students at an independent school in eastern North Carolina participated. Half of the students used passages from text read on tablets while half utilized traditional print text passages. Data was collected during one class period in which the reading comprehension section of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests®, a 35 minute test containing 48 questions, was administered. Reading comprehension data was analyzed using an independent t-test. The effect of electronic books on the reading motivation of middle and high school students was examined using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control-group design. All students from the Reading Comprehension testing took the initial Motivations for Reading Questionnaire, a 15-20 minute survey containing 53 questions, on day two. A posttest MRQ was administered in which 27 participants completed the MRQ after reading a book excerpt in paper form, and 27 participants completed the MRQ after reading the same excerpt in electronic form. Reading motivation data was analyzed using a MANOVA. Results demonstrated no significant differences in either reading comprehension or motivation levels based on book format.

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