Exploring the Impact of Media Exposure on Early Age Literacy and Reading Skills Development in Children

Ghandy Anggapati

Authors

Ghandy Anggapati Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Mahendradatta University, Indonesia

Keywords:

Media exposure, Early age literacy, Reading skills, Digital media, Childhood development

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between media exposure and early age reading skills, aiming to provide insights into the complex interplay between media consumption habits and literacy development among young children. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates quantitative analysis of standardized assessments with qualitative insights from interviews to comprehensively explore the impact of media engagement on various aspects of reading proficiency. Findings reveal positive associations between moderate levels of interactive media use and certain reading skills, such as phonemic awareness and vocabulary acquisition, while excessive screen time and passive media consumption are negatively correlated with reading fluency and comprehension. These findings underscore the importance of a balanced approach to media use and active parental involvement in guiding children's media experiences. The study also highlights the need for longitudinal research designs, experimental methodologies, and investigations into contextual factors to deepen our understanding of media's influence on early age literacy development. Ultimately, collaborative efforts between educators, parents, policymakers, and media producers are essential for fostering positive literacy outcomes and empowering children to become proficient and engaged readers in the digital age.

References

Alexander, P. A., & Laboratory, T. D. R. and L. R. (2012). Reading into the future: Competence for the 21st century. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 259–280.

Armstrong, T. (2003). The multiple intelligences of reading and writing: Making the words come alive. ASCD.

Arnone, M. P., Small, R. V, Chauncey, S. A., & McKenna, H. P. (2011). Curiosity, interest and engagement in technology-pervasive learning environments: A new research agenda. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59, 181–198.

Barzillai, M., Thomson, J. M., & Mangen, A. (2017). The influence of e-books on language and literacy development. In Education and New Technologies (pp. 33–47). Routledge.

Berk, L. (2015). Child development. Pearson Higher Education AU.

Boyle, E. A. (2006). The effects of a parent-child early literacy intervention on children’s phonemic awareness and preliteracy skills. The Johns Hopkins University.

Buckingham, D. (2013). Beyond technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. John Wiley & Sons.

Buis, T. (2014). Perspectives of preschool educators on early childhood education’s impact and role on school readiness and the social-emotional development of children. California State University, Sacramento.

Cattinelli, I., Borghese, N. A., Gallucci, M., & Paulesu, E. (2013). Reading the reading brain: a new meta-analysis of functional imaging data on reading. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 26(1), 214–238.

Cheong, P. H., Shuter, R., & Suwinyattichaiporn, T. (2016). Managing student digital distractions and hyperconnectivity: Communication strategies and challenges for professorial authority. Communication Education, 65(3), 272–289.

Courage, M. L. (2019). From print to digital: The medium is only part of the message. In Reading in the Digital Age: Young Children’s Experiences with E-books: International Studies with E-books in Diverse Contexts (pp. 23–43). Springer.

Frau-Meigs, D., O’Neill, B., Soriani, A., & Tomé, V. (2017). Digital citizenship education: Volume 1: Overview and new perspectives.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Stenhouse publishers.

Hobbs, R. (2010). Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action. A White Paper on the Digital and Media Literacy Recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. ERIC.

Humphreys, G. W., & Evett, L. J. (1985). Are there independent lexical and nonlexical routes in word processing? An evaluation of the dual-route theory of reading. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 8(4), 689–705.

Jenkins, H. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. The MIT press.

Marsh, J., Brooks, G., Hughes, J., Ritchie, L., Roberts, S., & Wright, K. (2005). # Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new technologies.

Pianta, R. C., Barnett, W. S., Burchinal, M., & Thornburg, K. R. (2009). The effects of preschool education: What we know, how public policy is or is not aligned with the evidence base, and what we need to know. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 10(2), 49–88.

Robinson, L., Schulz, J., Blank, G., Ragnedda, M., Ono, H., Hogan, B., Mesch, G. S., Cotten, S. R., Kretchmer, S. B., & Hale, T. M. (2020). Digital inequalities 2.0: Legacy inequalities in the information age. First Monday, 25(7).

Schoon, I. (2018). Conceptualising Learner Agency: A Socio-Ecological Developmental Approach. Conceptualising Learner Agency: A Socio-Ecological Developmental Approach.

Spiro, R. J., Bruce, B. C., & Brewer, W. F. (2017). Theoretical issues in reading comprehension: Perspectives from cognitive psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence and education (Vol. 11). Routledge.

Tarchi, C. (2015). Fostering reading comprehension of expository texts through the activation of readers’ prior knowledge and inference-making skills. International Journal of Educational Research, 72, 80–88.

Veletsianos, G. (2010). Emerging technologies in distance education.

Wolf, M., & Gottwald, S. (2016). Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century. Oxford University Press.

Zaphiris, P., & Ioannou, A. (2015). Learning and collaboration technologies (Vol. 9192). Springer.