E-reader libraries as intervention: Positive outcomes for low-income students

By Isun Malekghassemi, Johns Hopkins University

As reading achievement gaps persist among students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, a research team from the University of Potsdam suggests that children’s home literacy environments are prime for intervention. Targeting 11 to 12 year-old students from low-income households across Germany (n=1,000), Anger and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial that put e-readers directly into students’ hands. The electronic reading tablets were preloaded with a vast, age-appropriate digital library where students could self-select books and were configured to prevent non-study related use. To replicate the literacy support that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds may receive at home, the team also partnered with a non-profit to conduct a postcard campaign, recommending books and reading materials to treatment group households.

Findings indicated that access to free and self-selected reading materials paired with reading recommendations was associated with an increase in overall reading engagement and improved socio-emotional and academic outcomes (reading behavior, ES = +0.39; socio-emotional well-being, ES = +0.15; academic achievement, ES = +0.15). The researchers also performed a cost-benefit analysis that placed this intervention favorably compared to other educational interventions, demonstrating its scalability. These results underscore the importance of supporting families in creating home literacy environments that could not only close reading achievement gaps but positively impact children’s long-term outcomes.