Thesis
Innovative features of e-books and e-book builders : Potential learning and authoring tools for the Malaysian smart school environment
- Creator
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2002
- Thesis identifier
- T10624
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- The potential of electronic books (e-books) particularly the electronic version of textbooks for the education of young children in a Smart School environment was investigated. The principal objective was to propose suitable features for children's e-books based on the familiar concept of a book (using requirements Engineering approach from Software Engineering perspective). These include traditional textbook features, as well as features that are perceived to be useful in catering for the diversity of children's learning styles; these were defined in the form of a conceptual model. Emphasis was placed on incorporating appropriate interactive educational activities based on a learning style theory most suited to children to enrich the content of the currently opened book page. For this purpose, the e-book model was named "InterActivity (Interactive + Activity) Book". Additionally, innovative features for an e-book builder (i. e. the program that allows users to build e-books) were also specified. The ability to build interactive activities by means of "builders within the e-book builder environment" and different types of book, including graphic books, talking books, multimedia books, hypermedia books and web books, are among the desired features. Furthermore, teachers' and e-book experts' perceptions on the features were analysed. There was significant evidence to show that teachers and experts were in agreement on the usefulness of the suggested features. Children's interaction with e-books on portable devices, interactive activities and an e-book builder were also investigated, and positive and significant indications of the interaction were noted. The findings also indicated that e-books and e-book builder technology were widely accepted by both teachers and children. In particular, teachers perceived them to be easy to use and useful in assisting their classroom teaching tasks. Teachers confirmed that e-books containing interactive educational activities along with multimedia presentations were more useful than those without. Generally, although there were some readability problems with one of the portable devices, children were able to interact with e-books on portable devices (especially the dedicated e-book reader) comfortably. Children could also successfully use the e-book builder; however, it was harder for children without computer experience. It was also found that children had good e-book building ability particularly those who have experience in interacting with CD-ROM titles and computer games. The limitations of this study are described in the final chapter. However, for each limitation future possible research topics are also proposed. For example, there is an immediate need for the development of e-books and an e-book builder that incorporates the features proposed in this study. A crucial study would be an investigation into the effectiveness of electronic textbooks in terms of children's comprehension and learning gains. The utilisation of e-books on portable devices during children's in-class activities ought also to be carried out if traditional book practice were to be fully and successfully emulated. The impacts on health and behaviour if children were encouraged to use e-ooks also call for further research.
- Resource Type
- Note
- Strathclyde theses - ask staff. Thesis no. : T10624
- DOI
- EThOS ID
- uk.bl.ethos.269894
- Date Created
- 2002
- Former identifier
- 656201
Relations
Items
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
PDF for thesis T10624 | 2021-07-02 | Public | Download |