Using the branching story approach to motivate students’ ınterest in reading

Jane Liu; Hanan Alduraby

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2014) IEJEE

Using the branching story approach to motivate students’ ınterest in reading

Jane Liu
Hanan Alduraby

Published August 9, 2017 | Pages: 463-478 | Views: 292

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Abstract

This action research was to answer the pedagogical question: How effective can a branching
story approach be as a motivational tool for elementary reading instruction? A branching story
was created with hyperlinks built into a Powerpoint story. The young readers could interact with
options at different turning points of the story, which activated the readers’ curiosity, and
promoted their decision making and thinking skills. The study was carried out in an all girl
school, Saudi Arabia. A class of 20 fourth-graders participated in the study. For data collection
and analyses, the students were assigned into four groups based on their previous reading
achievements and interests. Students’ responses to comprehension questions were tabulated.
The unit-end survey results were analyzed. A majority of the participating students
overwhelmingly enjoyed the experience. They were motivated to achieve the project goals
sooner than planned. Kinesthetic learners demonstrated their academic potentials well beyond
their performance under the traditional reading instruction.

This action research was to answer the pedagogical question: How effective can a branching story approach be as a motivational tool for elementary reading instruction? A branching story was created with hyperlinks built into a Powerpoint story. The young readers could interact with options at different turning points of the story, which activated the readers’ curiosity, and promoted their decision making and thinking skills. The study was carried out in an all girl school, Saudi Arabia. A class of 20 fourth-graders participated in the study. For data collection and analyses, the students were assigned into four groups based on their previous reading achievements and interests. Students’ responses to comprehension questions were tabulated. The unit-end survey results were analyzed. A majority of the participating students overwhelmingly enjoyed the experience. They were motivated to achieve the project goals sooner than planned. Kinesthetic learners demonstrated their academic potentials well beyond their performance under the traditional reading instruction.

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Keywords

Branching Story, Narrative Reading, Multimedia Technology, Reading Instruction

Affiliations

Jane Liu

Jane LIU Eastern Washington University, USA

Hanan Alduraby

Imam Mohammed bin Saud University, Saudi Arabia

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How to Cite

Liu, J., & Alduraby, H. (2017). Using the branching story approach to motivate students’ ınterest in reading. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6(3), 463–478. Retrieved from https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/58