Preschoolers learn as much from digital books as they do from print

The content of a children's book, and not its form as a print or digital book, predicts how well children understand a story.

Worried about your children reading primarily from screens? Well, fear not. New findings, presented this week at the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting, suggest that both digital stories and reading storybooks in person present equally good opportunities for word-learning and comprehension. Given the rich language in books, reading aloud storybooks is an important activity for engaging children young and old and developing their early literacy skills. However, it has been less than clear what role digital storybooks - which have grown in popularity in recent years - play in this learning. Earlier research suggests that digitised stories and videos can provide a context for engaging children in vocabulary and comprehension learning activities, as they can bring stories to life through sound, action, and multimedia supports such as explaining tricky words. Professor of childhood and literacy education at NYU, Susan Neuman, says digital learning can be helpful,

"Although nothing can replace the interactivity that comes from a live read-aloud experience between an adult and child, there are certain features in video that might enhance word learning, especially for children with limited vocabulary."

However, there has been increasing concern regarding children's ability to comprehend stories in this form. Research has found that children learn better through interactions with a live person than with video presentations. This learning difference, demonstrated in numerous studies with infants and toddlers, has been coined the "video deficit." In the face of overwhelming evidence on the "video deficit," screen time has been discouraged among infants and toddlers. Nevertheless, children still engage with televisions, tablets, and phones. In fact, a recent study found that in a typical day, 83 percent of children ages six months to six years use some form of screen media. So, is the "video deficit" still present as children grow into preschoolers? The current study, funded by Amazon, examined children's word learning and comprehension from stories read aloud and in digital form. It sought to determine whether there are differences in children's vocabulary and comprehension, as well as their interest in stories, depending on the medium. The researchers found no significant differences - children comprehended equally well regardless of whether the story was read aloud or in digital form. Similarly, there were no differences in motivation to read and learn. Professor Neuman says, overall, content appears to be more important than form,

"What was most striking in our findings were the similarities, not the contrasts, in children's responses to the medium of instruction. It's possible that when it comes to books, we have overestimated the means of delivery and have underestimated the importance of the content conveyed in the media. Although certainly not a substitute for parent-child interactive reading, digital stories from quality media sources may represent an important source of learning for young children."

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