Immersive storybook promotes vocabulary knowledge among children at risk of specific learning disorder (SLD)

Abstract Language and literacy difficulties may emerge at an early age and position children as at risk of specific learning disorders (SLD) in those areas. In this spirit, the current study examined the added value of a research-based intervention in the form of an immersive storybook for supporting vocabulary knowledge, story comprehension, word spelling, and reading motivation in children at risk of SLD. While the positive effects of electronic storybooks (e-books or digital books) on literacy knowledge are empirically research based, research on the effects of immersive learning environments remains limited. Participants in this study were 69 first-grade children ( M age = 82.86, SD = 5.06) identified as children at risk of SLD in language and literacy skills, who were randomly divided into three groups: an i-book group (immersive storybook), an e-book group (tablet-based storybook), and a control group that received traditional classroom instruction. The intervention groups completed five sessions of direct vocabulary word learning of 12 target words. Vocabulary knowledge, word spelling, story comprehension, and reading motivation were assessed pre- and posttest. Participants in the i-book group demonstrated significantly greater gains in vocabulary knowledge and story comprehension than participants in the e-book and control groups. Both intervention groups showed greater improvements in word spelling compared to the control group. Reading motivation was unchanged in all three groups. These findings offer a promising perspective on the contribution of embodied learning in an immersive environment for vocabulary knowledge in children at risk of SLD.