civic science topics into the classroom, and sparked conversation about civic science topics already be- ing integrated into their curricula. While this finding did not directly respond to the research questions, teacher interviews evidenced this. School 3 teacher reflected that she had not integrated a lot of civic science curricula into her classroom, but that she found “connection to a real-life community issue” to be
“very meaningful” and that she had already reached out to a local extension office with a lot of Internet resources related to environmental topics (School 3 teacher intv, 04/09/19). School 2 teacher reflected that their use of Project-Based Learning (PBL) supported teachers in becoming more “aware of their surroundings” and “the needs of our community and the world,” including writing their own nonfiction books about endangered animals after a National Geographic author visit (School 2 teacher intv, 04/02/19).
Finally, school 1 teacher highlighted that she already invited her students to read National Geographic for Kids, Scholastic Readers, and Mystery Doug Science online, and invited the 4-H Extension office and the Recycling Center to share presentations with the class on the environment.
DISCUSSION
This research offers key insights regarding the use of print and digital children’s texts to engage early readers in conceptual learning, particularly for civic science topics. This study also offers perspective for how varying degrees of teacher guidance may impact early readers’ conceptual understanding and retention. This study evidences greatest gains in comprehension and concept retention when paper books are read with teacher guidance, followed by digital books read with teacher facilitation, followed by digital books read independently by individual learners. This study recognizes the value of digital books in enhancing reader interest, while evidencing the importance of cultivating conceptual understanding via paper books and teacher guidance.
Digital vs. Paper Texts
In this study, students who received the greatest in-person teacher guidance in reading a paper book demonstrated the greatest gains in pre- and post-reading handout comprehension scores. Moreover, in both school 1 and school 3, this paper book group outperformed students who viewed the story using a digital medium, with less or no teacher guidance. These findings contribute greater understanding for
135 How Paper and Digital Children’s Books Support Student Understanding
how paper and digital texts impact learner engagement, comprehension, and retention (Fredricks et al., 2004). This study suggests paper books with teacher guidance have the greatest impact on early reader gains, and thus resonates with previous research suggesting that in-person readings of paper texts may be more effective to engage learners by providing opportunity for “spontaneous questions and verbal interaction” (Holum and Gahala, 2001, p. 15). School 2 teacher offered the same reflection for why she preferred to read paper texts aloud with her students. School 1 teacher noted that she attempts to strike a balance in using paper and digital texts in her classroom, yet noted her aim to observe how and when to use each more thoughtfully. School 3 teacher challenged the study’s main finding by highlighting that her students preferred digital books, though did not note evidence for how her use of digital or paper texts in the classroom had impacted student learning over time.
Interest vs. Comprehension and Concept Retention
Research demonstrates that student interest impacts attention, goal setting, and learning strategies, thus making learner engagement a key factor to consider in improving teaching practices (Avard, 2006).
School 1 teacher emphasized this point in reflecting on the study. While many teachers may agree that learner engagement is “critical,” learner engagement is also “complicated,” particularly in regards to how “students behave, feel, and think” (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004, p.59), including the dif- ferent impact that paper and digital texts have on learner engagement. School 3 teacher echoed many studies concluding that digital texts benefit literacy development by engaging reader interest and pro- viding a bridge across cultures and generations, including in the homes of English Language Learners (e.g., Levinson & Barron, 2018). Yet, school 2 teacher’s reflections echoed other studies highlighting challenges presented by digital texts, including reduced capacity for reflection, and that “children are better served when adults read aloud to them, thus providing opportunities for spontaneous questions and verbal interaction” (Holum & Gahala, 2001, p. 15). In light of this discrepancy, further research is needed to explore how paper and digital texts impact learner comprehension and concept retention, and ideal teaching contexts to use each approach, particularly for early readers.
Balanced Use of Digital and Paper Texts
Research does not need to negate the value of digital texts and independent reading to emphasize the value of paper texts and teacher guidance. Like school 1 and 2 teacher’s reflections, research can high- light the importance of moderation and purpose in using digital texts without completely replacing paper texts read by teachers or parents. Digital texts can continue to play a significant role in drawing student interest to content presented, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as English Language Learners (Levinson & Barron, 2018). This study builds on previous research suggesting that digital texts alone may be less sufficient than paper texts in producing comprehension and retention, including for civic science concepts, as seen in this study.
Challenges of “Independent Screen Time”
This research found that independent screen time hindered student comprehension and concept reten- tion. This could be due to the lack of teacher guidance combined with the independent reader’s ease and temptation to click back and forth, to rewind and fast-forward, in the digitally recorded author reading.
How Paper and Digital Children’s Books Support Student Understanding
It is not within the scope of this study to determine if or how older readers may be impacted by this
“clicker” temptation. However, in this study, the absence of support from a teacher or adult, led to early reader distraction and lack of focus on key pictures and story content. Students appeared uninterested and skipped back and forth in both the video author reading and the digital book. This behavior corresponded with students’ missing questions on the post-test activity that also used the same key pictures found in the storybook. This finding resonates with research concluding that electronic texts and hypertext may promote among children “a reduced attention span and a general impatience with sustained inquiry”
(Birkets 1994, p. 27, as cited in Holum & Gahala 2001, p.15). Students in our study who experienced the greatest guidance from a teacher reading the paper book, in-person, demonstrated the highest gains in comprehension and retention, from the pre- and post-reading scores. This group experienced greater student engagement through teacher questions and group interaction, both of which were minimal or non-existent in the other two groups. These findings encourage greater teacher-student engagement to enhance student comprehension, reflective capacities, and concept retention (Holum & Gahala, 2001).
While balancing integration of paper and digital texts may be a long-term aim, this scope of this study only evidences the value of paper texts read in-person to increase early reader comprehension and con- cept retention.
Civic Action vs. Comprehension Alone
This study offers important findings regarding the value of paper and digital texts to enhance civic sci- ence curricula in elementary classrooms, including for emergent readers. This emergent finding connects with previous research on strategies for cultivating civic science knowledge, dispositions, and skills in the classroom. Avard (2006) highlights the practice of integrating civil education with other curricular content. Similarly, Hidi and Renninger (2006) conclude that creating a story involving civic science will enhance and deepen student interest. Digital texts enhance reader interest (Levinson & Barron, 2018), so may be able to enhance reader action steps after completing a story. More research is needed to un- derstand better how digital and paper children’s book can enhance student civic action, beyond student comprehension. In addition, research should explore feasible action steps for youth after reading such texts.
Krasny and Tidball’s (2019) work explores elementary school community gardens as a pedagogical strategy for fostering student civic action. Positive learning outcomes discovered in this work include shifting the negative historical focus in environmental education on pollution and climate change to
“positive expressions of community engagement and environmental stewardship,” re-phrased as civic ecology education (Krasny & Tidball, 2019, p. 6). Another benefit of civic ecology is that students are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to their community and feel that they could have a lasting impact from what the student is learning in the classroom. Lastly, civic action invites the integration and participation of community members, families, and local adults in the education process, by of- fering knowledge and practices that students may not have had learned, previously. Aligned with the focus of Krasny and Tidball’s (2019) work, this research evidences enhanced teacher interest to explore civic science concepts in the classroom, a different focus from studying environmental problems alone.
Composting, the civic science topic in this study, provides a feasible action point for youth.
U.S. public schools play a key role in guiding students to learn about civics-related subjects, events, and actions around the world. Teachers are integrating civics as a meaningful content area in elementary, middle, high school, and post-secondary classrooms. The National Commission on Service-Learning (NCSL) found many teachers felt “civic engagement and service-learning are marginalized in schools”
137 How Paper and Digital Children’s Books Support Student Understanding
and, as a result, many students are “missing valuable opportunities to learn about social responsibil- ity, personal responsibility, citizenship, and social justice” (DeJarnette & Sudeck, 2002, p. 140). Thus, teachers are finding ways to integrate civic education, including environmental stewardship, into daily curricula. As teachers integrate environmental civic action into classrooms, they must aim to connect this to meaningful learning outcomes, as other forms of civic learning. Environmental service-learning, as other forms of civic service learning, must be embedded in the “curriculum and assessed according to standards and objectives,” and “intended to be systemic and long-term in classrooms in order to foster students’ burgeoning sense of civic engagement” (DeJarnette & Sudeck, 2002, p. 143).
IMPLICATIONS
Implications for Practice
Perhaps the most significant implication of this study is to read paper books with your children, whether students in your classroom or children in your own home. Digital texts have become an increasing trend in elementary classrooms and homes. Yet, this study suggests that teachers and parents of elementary students may want to spend more face-to-face time reading papers books with children in their class- rooms and homes. Paper texts require following a linear line of thought and slows down text digestion -- increased by digital device ‘clickers’ -- and enables more time for reflective questions to emerge, and for adults present to respond to the early reader’s emerging questions and reflections on the content (Holum & Gahala, 2001).
Another implication for practice from this work is the important step of engaging students in civic science action after reading civic science books. Action steps could also involve students creating their own civic science stories to promote “civil education” (Avard, 2006). Another action step could involve engaging students in composting to support students in developing further interest in the civic science content (Hidi and Renninger, 2006). Teachers can implement, civil engagement in their classrooms by introducing students to issues of local concern (Avard, 2006). Civil engagement is not only limited to composting, but could be implemented through a variety of ways across disciplines and subject matters.
Potential topics of civic science interest for elementary students may include testing for nutrients in soil samples of local farmers, evaluating quality of well-water samples for local landowners, or promoting energy conservation by educating local entities in conservation measures (Avard, 2006).
Finally, teacher candidates also need opportunities to prepare to teach environmental civic science curricula and engage students in civic action stemming from this work. DeJarnette and Sudeck’s (2002) study evidenced the impact of service learning on teacher candidates’ civic action. One Candidate ex- pressed, “I realize now that it is not as difficult as I thought it would be to get involved in a cause and to make a difference” (p. 155). Another Candidate reflected that a teacher education service leaning project motivated her “to become involved in my own events” (p. 155). This study highlights the importance of engaging teacher candidates in understanding the importance and impact of environmental civic action and to teach lessons that involve this. This study provides elementary teachers with a model for imple- menting civil engagement (Avad, 2006) pedagogies. Students might create their own children’s books and then create a classroom compost. A wide variety of civil engagement or civic science concepts and activities may be engaged through children’s books, both paper and digital, to inspire meaningful action.
How Paper and Digital Children’s Books Support Student Understanding
Implications for Research
This work encourages researchers to partner with teachers in developing studies and findings. This study shows that teacher perception of practice and research matters, as these perceptions shape practitioner decisions. Regardless of the quantitative results from this study, the qualitative findings demonstrate how teacher participants interpreted the findings and sought to translate this into future practice. Teacher 2 already engaged in a paper-rich, teacher guided curricula, while teacher 1 sought balance in paper and digital text use, and teacher 2 expressed more interest in digital texts. This finding serves as a reminder that teacher response to research findings are key to impact teacher practice. It is not enough for research- ers to reach findings shared within the academy of education research. Researchers must partner with teachers to have an impact.
Future research also might explore if the findings from this study hold true across a broader set of grade level, cultural, linguistic, and SES school contexts. Moreover, much more needs to be explored regarding the impact on student action. This study only examines the impact of paper and digital books on student comprehension and concept retention. It is not known if or how paper and digital texts may play complementary roles in shaping student interest to take action on civic science concepts. Perhaps digital texts may offer greater benefit in this area, due to their cultural relevance to students’ 21st century digital literary worlds. Whether employing digital or paper texts, future research should explore the impact of both on student post-reading action. This future research also might examine the impact on student comprehension and concept retention if paper or digital text readings are followed by engaging students in civic action.
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