Today’s research update has surprising (at least to me) findings. It’s from The Johns Hopkins University’s “Best Evidence in Brief” series and always features a variety of US and international research. This study of 1,000 11 to 12-year-old low-income students found that when they had access to e-readers at home (their home access to books was very limited), the students selected their own books and received recommendations from teachers. The impact on reading engagement and proficiency had an effect size of .39 – very substantial. It was a randomized control trial with the strongest design possible. I confess to having been skeptical of e-readers because, during classroom observations, I have seen more scrolling through the contents of the e-reader rather than actual reading. However, these promising results suggest that this could be at least important in improving reading proficiency for low-income students.
E-reader Libraries as Intervention: Positive Outcomes for Low-Income Students
By Isun Malekghassemi, Johns Hopkins University
As reading achievement gaps persist among students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, a research team from the University of Potsdam suggests that children’s home literacy environments are prime for intervention. Targeting 11 to 12-year-old students from low-income households across Germany (n=1,000), Anger and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial that put e-readers directly into students’ hands. The electronic reading tablets were preloaded with a vast, age-appropriate digital library where students could self-select books and were configured to prevent non-study-related use. To replicate the literacy support that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds may receive at home, the team also partnered with a non-profit to conduct a postcard campaign, recommending books and reading materials to treatment group households.
Findings indicated that access to free and self-selected reading materials paired with reading recommendations was associated with an increase in overall reading engagement and improved socio-emotional and academic outcomes (reading behavior, ES = +0.39; socio-emotional well-being, ES = +0.15; academic achievement, ES = +0.15). The researchers also performed a cost-benefit analysis that placed this intervention favorably compared to other educational interventions, demonstrating its scalability. These results underscore the importance of supporting families in creating home literacy environments that could not only close reading achievement gaps but positively impact children’s long-term outcomes