Tag: Dara Williams-Rossi

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Culture, Society & Family Learning & Education Researcher news SMU In The News Videos

WFAA: Can Technology Help Kids Learn to Read

Technology helpful in motivating young struggling readers, particularly boys, to read — Dara Rossi

SMU’s Dara Rossi was interviewed by the summer reading program Shelly’s Summer Bookworms for Dallas TV station WFAA.

Rossi is a clinical assistant professor and director of SMU’s Teach for American Teacher Education Program in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. She was asked how using technology can help young students learn to read.

Rossi is an experienced educator with a strong science background, including K-12 curriculum development and administration.

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Culture, Society & Family Learning & Education Researcher news SMU In The News Technology

goodereader.com: E-Readers Engage Middle School Male Students

The popular e-reader news site goodereader.com covered the research of Dara Williams-Rossi, clinical assistant professor and director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development.

The article by Mercy Pilkington, E-Readers Engage Middle School Male Students, published April 24. The research found that middle school boys who are reluctant readers rated reading more valuable as an activity after two months of using an e-reader.

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To book a live or taped interview with Dr. Dara Williams-Rossi in the SMU News Broadcast Studio call SMU News at 214-768-7650 or email SMU News at news@smu.edu.

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Middle school boys who are reluctant readers value reading more after using e-readers

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The students in the study were part of a reading improvement class in their school that included Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. After use of the e-readers, boys’ attitudes about the value of reading improved, while girls’ attitudes declined, said Williams-Rossi.

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EXCERPT:

By Mercy Pilkington
goodereader.com
Results from the halfway point of a three-year study on using Kindle e-readers in low ability level reading classes in urban Texas have shown that middle school boys demonstrated an improved perception on the benefits of reading after using the Kindles. In the same setting, however, girls of the same age demographic did not seem to like reading more, nor did they seem to feel like their reading ability had improved as the boys did.

The study, led by Dara Williams-Rossi of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, along with three others—Twyla Miranda from Texas Wesleyan University, Kary A. Johnson of The Reading Connection, and Nancy McKenzie of Tarrant Community College—gave 199 students Kindle readers to use for 25 minutes per daily reading class period. The students cited some surprising reasons for appreciating the Kindles.

While the study is ongoing and all the data has not been compiled to determine the exact reasons for improvement, so far the students have mentioned a number of benefits to the Kindles. The books are always available, the letter size can be enlarged, and the device can often read-aloud the text depending on publisher and author preference. Perhaps the most profound argument for the use of e-readers in this type of setting is the fact that the other students are not aware of what book their neighbors are reading, minimizing the embarrassment that may come from having to read a book well below the students grade level.

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SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

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Culture, Society & Family Learning & Education Researcher news SMU In The News Technology

digitalshift.com: Boys Value Reading More with Ereaders

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To book a live or taped interview with Dr. Dara Williams-Rossi in the SMU News Broadcast Studio call SMU News at 214-768-7650 or email SMU News at news@smu.edu.

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Dark matter search may turn up evidence of WIMPS: SMU Researcher Q&A

The digitalshift.com, the blog site of the School Library Journal has covered the research of Dara Williams-Rossi, clinical assistant professor and director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development.

The article by Lauren Barack, Boys Value Reading More with Ereaders, published April 6. The research found that middle school boys who are reluctant readers rated reading more valuable as an activity after two months of using an e-reader.

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EXCERPT:

By Lauren Barack
digitalshift.com
Middle school boys rated reading more valuable as an activity after two months of using an ereader, according to a study by researchers in Texas.

Classroom time spent using ereaders produced a positive attitude in boys in reading improvement classes at an urban middle school. However, the researchers from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas found the opposite result in girls.

“Whatever is causing them to value reading, we have to do more research, because we want to help those boys who are reluctant to read,” says Dara Williams-Rossi, co-author of “Reluctant Readers in Middle School: Successful Engagement with Test Using the E-Reader” and an assistant clinical professor in SMU’s Department of Teaching and Learning. “But while boys valued reading more, we found that girls’ reading was valued less.”

As the use of ereaders grows in K–12 schools, school librarians and other educators want to learn how best to adopt devices for student use. But many schools are still in the pilot stage, and it’s unclear how they will eventually integrate these digital tools.

Researchers worked with 199 middle school students in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over two months, specifically using Kindles. A local Rotary Club looking to support the use of ereaders in schools donated the devices, says Williams-Rossi.

Read the full story.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

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Culture, Society & Family Learning & Education Researcher news SMU In The News

Frontburner: SMU Research — Boys Prefer Reading on a Kindle

D Magazine’s popular Frontburner blog covered the research of Dara Williams-Rossi, clinical assistant professor and director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development.

The blog post by Jason Heid, SMU Research: Boys Prefer Reading on a Kindle, published April 3.

Book a live interview

To book a live or taped interview with Dr. Dara Williams-Rossi in the SMU News Broadcast Studio call SMU News at 214-768-7650 or email SMU News at news@smu.edu.

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More SMU Research news

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The research found that middle school boys who are reluctant readers rated reading more valuable as an activity after two months of using an e-reader.

The students in the study were part of a reading improvement class in their school that included Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. After use of the e-readers, boys’ attitudes about the value of reading improved, while girls’ attitudes declined, said Williams-Rossi.

Read the full story.

EXCERPT:

By Jason Heid
Frontburner
UPI reported about research at SMU in which middle-school boys who had been reluctant readers liked reading more after two months of using a Kindle. Meanwhile the girls in the study responded differently.

“The technology appeared to motivate the boys to read while many girls preferred the actual books,” [SMU researcher Dara] Williams-Rossi said. “It may be that they prefer curling up with actual books and that they enjoy sharing their reading with their friends.”

Because girls like to “curl up” more than boys do?

I have a Kindle, and I don’t find curling up with an e-reader to be any more difficult than with an actual book. In fact, it’s easier to do when you’re tackling a larger tome. I was recently glad to be reading The Pickwick Papers on my Kindle rather than having to balance the 800-page book in my hands when I laid in bed.

My inability to entirely love e-readers has more to do with the experience not quite feeling “real.” I’ve experienced some of the same strange inability to remember things from chapter to chapter as did the author of this Time article, which also explains how the physical presence of a book may make it easier to learn material:

Read the full story.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

Categories
Culture, Society & Family Learning & Education Researcher news SMU In The News

dailyRx: Digital Books Engage Young Readers

The health news site dailyRx covered the research of Dara Williams-Rossi, clinical assistant professor and director of undergraduate programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development.

The article by Christopher Wright, Digital Books Engage Young Readers, published March 31. The research found that middle school boys who are reluctant readers rated reading more valuable as an activity after two months of using an e-reader.

Book a live interview

To book a live or taped interview with Dr. Dara Williams-Rossi in the SMU News Broadcast Studio call SMU News at 214-768-7650 or email SMU News at news@smu.edu.

Related links

More SMU Research news

College students willing to donate genetic material to biobanks for research

Study: Nearly two-thirds of EU citizens are marginalized by English-language dominance

From ‘Green Card’ to ‘Thin Blue Line’: Lawtalk research looks at popular legal expressions

The students in the study were part of a reading improvement class in their school that included Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. After use of the e-readers, boys’ attitudes about the value of reading improved, while girls’ attitudes declined, said Williams-Rossi.

Read the full story.

EXCERPT:

By Christopher Wright
dailyRx
Keeping students engaged has always been a teacher’s challenge. With mobile devices and games more prevalent than ever, it is only getting more difficult. However, the same technology may help students enjoy reading.

A new study has found that middle school boys found reading to be more valuable when using an e-reader. Interestingly, girls of the same age group did not – they seemed to enjoy paper books more.

The study was led by Dara Williams-Rossi, Ph.D., of Southern Methodist University. The researchers gave e-readers and e-books to a classroom for 199 middle school students who struggled with reading. The class was focused on reading improvement and the students were able to use the e-readers in class for about 15-25 minutes per class period.

After two months of using the readers the researchers assessed the value of the e-readers. Both teachers and students reported a satisfying experience in the class.

The boys reported that they had an improved attitude towards the value of reading. Teachers reported that the e-readers sparked excitement in the class and received positive attention from the students.

The girls in the class did not seem to benefit from the e-readers like the boys, but the researchers are continuing to investigate ways to better engage girls.

Read the full story.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.