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Technology in Early Childhood Education: Electronic Books for Improving Students’ Literacy Skills

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Abstract

This paper examines teachers’ perceptions about using electronic books (e-books) in early childhood education to improve students’ literacy skills. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers in three different schools for this aim. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the views. The findings suggest that teachers’ perceptions of e-books are generally positive. During the interviews, most of the teachers stated that using e-books in early childhood increased the students’ interest in reading and their reading competencies. As a mechanism for rewarding, electronic badges integrated into the e-books were reported as a positive factor increasing the students’ interest in reading. However, technical problems and parents’ limited guidance were reported as the biggest challenges for the students and the teachers in the study.

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Correspondence to Neslihan Kaynar.

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Kaynar, N., Sadik, O. & Boichuk, E. Technology in Early Childhood Education: Electronic Books for Improving Students’ Literacy Skills. TechTrends 64, 911–921 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00520-5

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