Date of Award

8-8-2017

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Early Childhood Education

First Advisor

Dr. Teri Holbrook

Second Advisor

Dr. Ramona Matthews

Third Advisor

Dr. Laura May

Abstract

In order to prepare students to be globally competitive, teachers must equip them with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century. To this aim, school spending on e-books and e-readers is at an all-time high, but evidence indicates teachers are not fully integrating them into the reading classroom. This qualitative study was grounded in sociocultural theory and explored veteran primary teachers’ knowledge of and persistent attitudes about using e-books in reading instruction. Within a collaborative inquiry group, five teachers explored the way to best use e-books in their primary reading classrooms. Through the cyclical process of planning, observing, acting, and reflecting, the teachers explored e-books during the meetings and then took them into the classroom to use with their students. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, participant observation notes, transcribed audio recordings, and reflective journals. Thematic and directed content analyses were used on the data, and findings of both analyses were presented in a pleated text that framed analytical texts with researcher notes. Findings demonstrated that there was an emotionality to reading books in traditional and electronic format, but by experimenting with the e-books in the supportive, dialogic context of the collaborative inquiry meeting, teachers changed both their knowledge of and persistent attitudes about electronic books. Important implications were noted for professional development coordinators, administrators, and policy-makers.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/10549832

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