Internet Research for TechQuest Project

As I began my search on the internet for published research focusing on the Amazon Kindle I realized quite quickly that there was very little research based information regarding the Kindle specifically.  I blame this on the fact that the Kindle is such a new device and there has not been sufficient time to implement a study discovering its educational tool potential.  However, there is a lot of published research regarding Oral Reading Fluency which is the learning issue that I feel the Kindle can help out with.  I used several different search engines to find information regarding the Kindle.  I ran searches under Google, which gave me basic information regarding the Kindle’s functions and uses.  I then checked several research publication search engines such as mel.org, er.lib.msu.edu, Eric and gale to search for possible research papers dealing with the Kindle and found 0 matches.  As soon as I refocused my search for publications onto Oral Reading Fluency I came up with several possible articles in each and every one of the search engines listed above, i.e. an Advance Search on Google, mel.org, er.lib.msu.edu, Eric and gale.  The next step was to sift through all the information to make sure that I found articles that were current and appropriate for the way I intend to use the Kindle within a classroom setting.   I was able to come up with quite a few useful articles that are applicable to my project.  Here is the list of potential journal articles:

 

• Chard, D., Vaughn, S., and Tyler, B. J. (2002). "A synthesis of research on effective interventions for building reading fluency with elementary students with learning disabilities." Journal of Learning Disabilities 36 (5), 386–406.
• Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal, G. (2005). Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Measurement (Technical Report No. 33). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon, College of Education, Behavioral Research and Teaching
• Hasbrouck, J. E. & Tindal, G. (2006). "Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers." The Reading Teacher 59(7): 636–644.
• Rasinski, T. V. (2003). The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension. Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic Professional Books.
• Rasinski, T. V. & Hoffman, J. V. (2003). "Theory and research into practice: Oral reading in the school literacy curriculum." Reading Research Quarterly 38, 510–523
• Samuels, S. J. (2002). Chapter 8, "Reading Fluency: Its Development and Assessment." In What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed.), edited by A. E. Farstrup and S. J. Samuels. Newark, DE: International Reading Association

I also came up with a few anecdotal possibilities:

• Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind, Tina Antolini, NPR, November 2009
• The Amazon Kindle could dramatically improve US education, February 9, 2009 by Paul Ballen
• Will the Kindle Change Education? E-book reader advances are pushing printed textbooks closer to extinction.September/October 2009

 

There is a lot of information regarding Fluency Practice and Comprehension out there from a research based perspective and from an anecdotal standpoint.  What I learned is that you have to be very careful when choosing the types of articles you will use for a project.  Most of the anecdotal examples I found are purely opinion, with little or no reference to research based information.  The only problem I found with a lot of the research articles is that they are pretty old.  Ultimately when I made my search more specific in terms of dates then I was able to narrow down some strong possibilities for use with my project. My next step is to read through the research journals thoroughly and find the data that will make my ideas for a Kindle as an instructional tool a reality.