Print or iPad? Young Children’s Text Type Shared Reading Preference and Behaviors in Comparison to Parent Predictions and At-home Practices

ABSTRACT Little research has examined young children’s reading preference by text type. We examined 37 children reading, evaluated their reading experience, and surveyed parents for at-home reading practices and parent predictions of their child’s text preference. Framed by social learning theory using a multiple-case study research design, data analysis includes descriptive statistics and multimodal discourse analysis. Though 65% of children chose the digital book, 27% of parent predictions accurately predicted text choice. Discourse and observation analyses show children engage differently between text types. Children’s attention, physical position to the reader, and discourse increased while reading digitally. No child requested to read additional print books whereas 50% who read digitally requested more books. Implications for parents, teachers, and teacher educators support today’s young children as readers.