E-books as support for emergent writing with and without adult assistance

The question posed in the current study is whether software alone is a
sufficient tool for supporting young children's emergent writing. We researched the
effect of reading an electronic book (e-book) on kindergarten children's emergent
word writing with and without adult support. Ninety-six 5 to 6 years old children
from low socioeconomic status (SES) families were randomly assigned to one of
three groups (32 children each): (1) independently reading the e-book; (2) reading
the e-book with adult support; (3) receiving the regular kindergarten program
(control). Each intervention group received four e-book reading sessions. The
children's emergent literacy was assessed before and after the intervention and
included letter-name recognition, phonological awareness and emergent word
writing. Reading the e-book with adult assistance supported the children's
phonological awareness and emergent word writing more significantly than reading
the e-book without support and more than the control group. Reading the e-book
without adult support did not differ from the control group. Furthermore, the
children's initial emergent literacy level and reading the ebook with adult assistance
contributed the most to the children's emergent word writing. Educational
implications are discussed.