A Case Study: Literacy Experiences of Struggling Readers with Interactive Digital Books

Abstract

Students who score one or more grade levels below the standard expectations in reading tests are defined as struggling readers. Struggling readers tend to succeed in reading assessments when effective interventions are integrated to support their literacy practices. Recently, technology use has been one of the most popular interventions in contemporary reading instruction for struggling readers. In this study, I examined the experiences of six 3^rd grade struggling readers within tutoring sessions to explore their experiences with interactive digital books. Data collection sources included semi–structured interviews, document collection, and field notes. This study revealed that every struggling reader needs a special literacy curriculum with strategies that are unique to their needs. The findings also suggested that interactivity of hotspots might be either encouraging or discouraging for students depending on the quality of digital books and adult guidance. 

Keywords

• struggling reader,technology,interactivity,interactive digital book

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