Parents would
rather read printed books to their children and believe their kids like the
print option as well, according to a new study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center
at Sesame Workshop. Perhaps not surprisingly, the center also released
information suggesting kids actually like e-books better.
The two studies,
which are scheduled for publication at the end of the summer, found that
reading comprehension and engagement for the children between print and
electronic formats were about the same, but children tended to be more
distracted by interactivity features in the electronic titles.
“Just to get kids
engaged with books, enhanced e-books have their place,” Cynthia Chiong, lead
researcher on the study, said to Digital Book World.
“If they want their children to work on reading skills or vocabulary, they may
want to choose an e-book or enhanced e-book that is more literary focused.”
Earlier studies
have suggested parents are concerned about how much time their children spend in
front of an electronic device, whether it’s a computer, e-reader, or tablet.
Parents should focus on the text and story when reading to children, according
to Chiong.
“It could be more
effective for parents to say, ‘Hey, let’s read through the store first and then
let’s read through it again,’ to experience all of the interactive levels,” she
said.
