Fostering L2 Reading Motivation through the Use of Digital "Choose Your Own Adventure" Stories in the Primary EFL Classroom

by Benedikt Wagner (University of Paderborn, Germany) 

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The potential of storytelling, and to a lesser extent, the reading of stories for English language education at the primary level seems to be universally accepted (cf. Brewster/Ellis, 2014; Reckermann, 2018). Piepho (2000), however, noted that listening to and even more so reading stories is not part of each child’s everyday life anymore due to the rising influence of digital. Recent studies on the media use of German children confirm Piepho’s observation: While the number of regular readers among children aged six to 13 remains stable, the number of non-readers has drastically increased since the turn of the century – from 7% in 2005 to 14% in 2020 (cf. Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, 2011; 2021). Especially boys seem to struggle to find motivation to read, as 52% never or only rarely read a book (cf. ibid, 2021). 

To address this issue, this research project (2022-2025) aims to adapt the “Choose your own adventure” (CYOA) story format for the use in the primary EFL classroom. In CYOA stories, students are actively involved in the development of the story as they take on the role of the main character and make choices on how the story should continue (cf. Montgomery, 2006). This decision space could add motivational benefits to the general advantages of stories, making CYOA a medium worth exploring in English language education. In the German context, however, there is a paucity of research conducted on CYOA stories to date (cf. Alter, 2014), especially at the primary level. Following the principles of design-based research, this project will adapt authentic CYOA stories and evaluate their digital implementation with a year 4 class over the course of one school year. The hypotheses of this project are that the active involvement of students in the stories

a.  will increase reading motivation, especially of non-readers,

b.  and will also contribute to the development of reading competence in general.

Furthermore, quality criteria for using CYOA stories in the primary EFL classroom will be developed based on the students’interaction with the digital implementation of the story.

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References:

 

Alter, Grit (2014). Choose Your Own Adventure. Ein Interaktives Lese-Abenteuer erleben. In: Englisch 5-10 (28), 4-7.

Brewster, Jean/ Ellis, Gail (2014). Tell it again. The new storytelling handbook for primary teachers. Harlow: Longman.

Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (2011). KIM-Studie 2010. Kinder + Medien + Computer + Internet. Basisuntersuchung zum Medienumgang 6- bis 13-Jähriger in Deutschland.

Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (2021). KIM-Studie 2020. Kindheit, Internet, Medien. Basisuntersuchung zum Medienumgang 6- bis 13-Jähriger in Deutschland. 

Montgomery, Raymond A. (2006). Journey Under the Sea. Waitsfield: Looseco.

Piepho, Hans-Eberhard (2000). Story telling – which, when, why. In: Bleyhl, Werner (ed.). Fremdsprachen in der Grundschule. Grundlagen und Praxisbeispiele. Hannover: Schroedel, 43-55.

Reckermann, Julia (2018). Reading Authentic English Picture Books in the Primary School EFL Classroom. Berlin: Peter Lang.