Video storybooks promote language development in children in high-risk groups

Multimedia additions to traditional storybooks increase the understanding of language and the vocabulary of children in high-risk groups. This is the discovery made by PhD researcher Marian Verhallen . ‘The structural use of video storybooks in teaching reduces the likelihood of learning difficulties.'

Keen readers

Verhallen's research findings negate the widespread belief that the use of multimedia would make children lazy readers. However, Verhallen's research has shown that the opposite is the case. Video, music and sound effects in combination with spoken text result in a better understanding of the story being read and to an increase in vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Children concentrate on the story for longer rying to understand it, even if the story has been read several times. 

Marian Verhallen: ‘Video storybooks offer new opportunities to children who come to school with a very limited vocabulary.'

Storybooks

Leiden education specialist Verhallen arrived at her conclusions on the basis of a series of experiments with Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch children of less well-educated parents. The five-year-olds were shown two different versions of the same storybook on a computer. In one version the text was read out and illustrated with static illustrations. In the other version the static illustrations were replaced by video images and the children heard appropriate music and sounds. All the children were tested afterwards on their understanding of the story and their vocabulary. 

Better understanding

The video images had a positive effect particularly on the understanding of deeper layers of the story.  Children who had been given the multimedia version of the storybook understood more of the aims and motives of the key characters. 'Video leads children by the hand while they listen to the spoken text,' explains Verhallen. ‘Films make it clearer why the characters do particular things, much more than static illustrations.'

Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch children of parents with limited education learn more from a storybook if they are also shown video images.

Vocabulary

It is not the case that the children relied completely on the film images and no longer listened to the text. The video storybook also stimulated the children's vocabulary. The effect of this was clear once the story had been repeated several times.

Connecting image and language

Verhallen believes that in building up their vocabulary children connect images with words. 'When a child listens to spoken text and at the same time watches video images, he or she makes connections between words and images. This helps them to remember new words better. This effect is much less for static illustrations. With a static illustration it is more difficult to assess which part of the illustration coincides exactly with the text. Video images draw attention to details that are mentioned at that instance in the text.  This makes it easier to match image with language.'

Eye-tracking

To test this explanation, Verhallen started a series of eye-tracking experiments. She measured the eye movements of the children while they sat in front of the computer. A built-in camera records where the children focus their eyes while they are listening to a story book. 'This technique allows us to follow very precisely what the children do,' Verhallen explains. Children appeared to concentrate longer and more often on visual details that were stressed in the text than on other visual details. 'This increases the likelihood that children will match the right visual details with the right words.'

Verhallen recorded the eye movements of children on a computer screen while they were read from a storybook. The blue circles are the eye fixations of a child while he or she listened to the text. The greater the circle, the longer the child looked at this detail. The blue lines show the jumps made by the eyes from one fixation point to another.

Source: ‘Rokko Crocodile' by author Ivo de Wijs and illustrated by Nicolle van den Hurk (Ziederis Publishing).

Teaching

Video storybooks therefore have a great deal of added value for teaching, according to Verhallen. She has worked for 27 years in education in The Hague and experienced on a daily basis how difficult it is for children from high risk groups to learn Dutch. 'Video storybooks offer new opportunities to children who start school with a very limited vocabulary.'

Computer in the class

Verhallen advocates more intensive use of computers in the classroom. 'The likelihood of learning difficulties becomes smaller as children gain access to a virtual library of digital storybooks.' Focused and repeated use of such a library of 'living books' is crucial in Verhallen's opinion. 'The advantage of online multimedia is that you can reach large groups of children repeatedly, and that you can offer pupils individually tailored teaching.' Verhallen, M.J.A.J. (2009). Video storybooks as a bridge to literacy.

PhD defence: Wednesday 18 November
Faculty: Social and Behavioural Sciences
Supervisor: Professor A.G. Bus


(17 November 2009/Tristan Lavender)