Technology-enhanced stories (any digital addition, not multimedia alone) significantly improve expressive vocabulary for children disadvantaged by environmental factors such as low parental education¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2015 · checked against its sources 2026-10-19 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 For children at risk because of environmental factors like low parental education, technology-enhanced stories significantly improved expressive vocabulary (g+ = 0.35), while the effect was nonsignificant for children with developmental delays or learning problems (g+ = 0.06). → Takacs 2015

Evidence¶

Takacs 2015¶

Takacs, Z. K., Swart, E. K., & Bus, A. G. (2015). Benefits and Pitfalls of Multimedia and Interactive Features in Technology-Enhanced Storybooks: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 85(4), 698-739. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654314566989

q3 · i1 · quant-synthesis · r2

Meta-analytic subgroup analysis of expressive vocabulary among disadvantaged children, comparing technology-enhanced stories as a whole (multimedia and/or interactive features) with traditional story sharing; printed effect size g+ = 0.35. This subgroup estimate is not reported for multimedia-only stories, whose expressive-vocabulary effect is reported only overall. There was a significant effect for disadvantaged children overall (g+ = 0.27, p = .02) but not for nondisadvantaged children (g+ = 0.05, p = .78); the between-group difference was not significant, Qbetween(1) = 1.10, p = .30.

"A significant effect was found for children who were at risk because of environmental factors like low parental education, g+ = 0.35, k = 10, SE = 0.15, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.65], p = .02."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Communication Skills — outcome: instruction changes it
• Oral Language — outcome: instruction changes it
• Vocabulary — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Effects were larger in intervention schools with a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students or a lower percentage of White students — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Technology-enhanced stories yield a small but significant additional benefit over traditional story presentations for story comprehension and expressive vocabulary in young children — a broader claim this one bears on
• Multimedia-only stories benefit story comprehension, whereas stories that also include interactive features do not — related
• Dialogic Reading Improves Language Outcomes — related
• Technology-enhanced stories show no significant additional effect on receptive vocabulary compared with traditional storybook reading — related
• A language-based bedtime routine at age 3 predicted longer nighttime sleep duration at age 5 and higher language abilities and receptive vocabulary at age 5 — related