Multimedia CD-ROM storybooks and traditional print storybooks : a comparison of the reading comprehension and attitude of third grade students

The purpose of this study was to compare the reading comprehension of students who read children's storybooks published on paper to the reading comprehension of a second group of students reading the same titles published on multimedia CD-ROM. This study also compared the reading attitude of students prior to reading CD-ROMs to the reading attitude of the same students after reading CD-ROMs. The subjects were 25 third grade students placed in matched pairs according to gender and performance on a reading comprehension test. Each interactive storybook has a corresponding print version with identical text and illustrations. Each subject read a total of two storybook titles in print and two storybooks titles on CD-ROM over the four week study period. CD-ROM storybooks featured student controlled word and sentence pronunciation, simultaneous highlighting of text with audio narration and vocabulary help whereas the researcher provided, when requested by a student, vocabulary and pronunciation support for the print groups. Twelve open-ended comprehension questions answered in writing were used to measure reading comprehension for each title. Based on a ninety-five percent confidence level (p <.05), results of the data analysis revealed that students reading books on interactive CD-ROMs performed significantly better than students reading books in print. Results of the reading attitude survey indicated no difference in reading attitude after exposure to interactive CDROMs. Additional analyses revealed that boys and subjects reading below grade level performed significantly better when reading CD-ROM books than when reading books in print. Subjects answering textually explicit and scriptually implicit questions performed significantly better with books on CD-ROM than books in print.