Research Questions
Students are surrounded by technology in a variety of ways in their daily lives. They
interact and utilize technology multiple times a day both within and outside the classroom.
There is no doubt the integration of the electronic reader would expose students to more
technological advances and uses. This could also prove motivating for students who do not
particularly enjoy reading. However, if schools and districts are going to fully implement the ereader
and spend the funds necessary to obtain them, it becomes necessary to determine whether
students prefer these electronic books and if they perform as well comprehending these new
versions of textbooks. An effective reader makes meaning from the words on a page. One who
reads without comprehension is simply word-calling—not truly reading. To become an effective
reader and to continue life as such, students must learn to pull meaning from all texts they
encounter. The questions remain that if a student is facing an electronically based text, is
comprehension altered by this technology? And once again, is this truly what the students want
to see in their classrooms for the rest of their educational experience? Considering the students
and their reading preferences and performances, this study was developed to answer the
following questions: Are second grade students’ silent reading comprehension affected when
using an electronic reader? Also, how do these students feel about the electronic reader and its
use?