iPads May Help Improve Boys’ Reading

iPads May Help Improve Boys’ Reading: New research from the National Literacy Trust has suggested that iPads are becoming a ‘vital new weapon’ in the fight against poor reading – with the number of nurseries utilising the tool having increased by around 100%.

iPads may help improve boys’ reading - VoicED Education Market Research

iPads may help improve boys’ reading

The Trust, which surveyed more than 1000 parents and 567 early years workers, found that children aged between 3 and 5 often have a better grasp of vocabulary and spend more time reading when they use touch screen technology such as iPads and Amazon Kindles.

The findings also showed that boys and children from poorer families were more likely to see the benefit of utilising tablets. Boys were more likely than girls to use technology for educational pursuits. This data was based on analysing the relationship between vocabulary and reading practices amongst 183 children aged 3-5.

The study found that 1% of children did not read at all, and 6% only read ‘once or twice’ a week. Whilst boys, and children from poorer backgrounds, were showing signs of shifting towards utilising technology for reading, books were still the most common medium for all children to read.

However, the study has raised questions following the publication of an essay by Dr. Aric Sigman. Writing in the British Journal of General Practice, Sigman warned parents that children were more susceptible to a ‘long-term problematic dependency’ on technology. The Doctor, who is an independent lecturer in child health education, cited research which demonstrated that over-exposing children to video games affected that brain in similar ways to drugs such as cocaine and alcohol. Extreme users showed signs of depression, angst and social phobia.

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