Making Time for Reading: Factors That Influence the Success of Multimedia Reading in the Home

Most children seem to love computers, and there has been much speculation and research about how educators might harness this interest to facilitate literacy learning. A growing body of research indicates that electronic talking books (ETBs) can help children learn to read and encourage them to read, so we decided to investigate what would happen if ETBs were used alongside or instead of traditional books as home reading, as a means of encouraging reluctant readers to engage in reading at home. Three schools in Australia participated in the 10-week (one school term) project, and 41 reluctant readers were involved. The study has identified several inhibitive and enhancing factors to guide practice