Changing the reading attitude of young children through Facebook

Abstract

It is widely recognized that positive reading attitude affects reading performances [1]. As such, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of a reading program that leverage on social networking tool Facebook on reading attitude. Reading attitude is affected by personal beliefs, social beliefs and reading experiences [2]. In this study, pupils in the treatment group were required to post book reports onto Facebook which provided them with peers support and social purpose for reading and sharing their reading experiences with peers. Pre- and post- test were administered using Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey (ERAS) before and after the implementation of Facebook reading program. The result of the study shows that the treatment group developed a more positive attitude towards reading of Chinese story books than control group.