Sharing personalised stories on iPads: a close look at one parent-child interaction

• Published in: Literacy (Oxford, England) Vol. 47; no. 3; pp. 115 - 122
• Main Authors: Kucirkova, Natalia, Messer, David, Sheehy, Kieron, Flewitt, Rosie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2013; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Case Studies; Children & youth; digital literacy/ies; Early Years; Educational Technology; Females; Handheld Devices; Holistic Approach; Interaction; Literacy; multimodality; narrative; new literacies; Observation; Parent Child Relationship; Parents & parenting; Portable computers; reading; Story Reading; Story Telling; Storytelling; Technology Uses in Education; Toddlers
• ISSN: 1741-4350; 1741-4369
• DOI: 10.1111/lit.12003

Little is known about how specific iPad applications affect parent–child story‐sharing interactions. This study utilises a case‐study approach to provide an insight into the patterns of interaction, which emerge when a mother and her 33‐month‐old daughter share a self‐created, audio‐visual ‘iPad story’. Multimodal analysis allowed us to gain insights into the complex interaction patterns orchestrated in this new, personalised story‐sharing medium. We found that the app‐mediated story‐sharing context produced a harmonious and smooth interaction, achieving a coherence that is typical of ‘happy’ oral stories. We suggest that the observed interaction resembles that of experiencing a piece of art, and we highlight the need for a holistic approach to understanding the implications for research and practice of children's interactions during multimedia story sharing.