AVERAGE, BELOW AVERAGE, AND ABOVE AVERAGE FIRST GRADE STUDENTS’
BELIEFS ABOUT USING E-BOOKS TO ACTIVATE INTEREST AND MOTIVATION IN
READING
Engaging all students in selecting books that are personally meaningful and interesting
are key components to helping students become motivated readers. In the past, teachers used
methods and resources such as teacher read aloud and narrated audio recordings to gain student
interest, motivation, and teach reading skills. With the advancements of educational technologies
such as SMART Boards, computers, and the Internet, e-books are a tool that can be incorporated
through the use of all of the above technologies. Schools may not be taking full advantage of
these available tools. Since e-books may not be used as often as they could be, student interest
and motivation may be suffering. Therefore, students are not choosing to read on a regular basis
and their interests, feelings and perceptions may not be as positive as one may like.
A total of nine students were recruited to participate in this study. Students were selected
and categorized by reading ability level of average, below average, and above average based
upon their Developmental Reading Assessment score. Each student was sent home with a
consent form and signed an assent form the day of the study. During the study, students sat down
for a 30 minute, one-on-one instructional session where they were introduced to e-books. They
then listened to a paperback book read and answered survey and interview questions determining
their individual interests, feelings, and perceptions toward the e-books.
Using the category “great” from the survey as a benchmark, average students had the
least interest in e-books. Below average students had the highest interest in e-books. Above
average students had more interest in e-books than average students, but not has much interest as
below average students. Above average students had most positive feelings toward e-books andthe most positive perceptions toward e-books. Overall, the consensus among first grade students’
beliefs about e-books is that they all would choose to read more often if e-books were included
in their classroom.