Bibliography

Bruner & Kucirkova (2025). Learning with and from Digital Books: Children's Meaning-Making in the AI Era.

• Examines how children construct meaning in AI-mediated digital reading
• Warns against shallow engagement loops in e-books
• Stresses the role of adult scaffolding alongside adaptivity

Radesky et al. (2022). Prevalence and Characteristics of Manipulative Design in Mobile Apps Used by Children.

• 80% of apps use "dark patterns" like time pressure and parasocial lures
• Most prevalent in apps used by lower-SES families

Rideout & Robb (2020/2021). The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight.

• Documents persistent digital divide
• Lower-income children have higher screen exposure but limited access to quality resources

Marsh (2021). Young Children's Literacy in the Digital Age.

• Documents literacy practices in digital contexts
• Stresses quality, equity, and critical use of technology

Spear-Swerling (2019). The Science of Reading and Its Practical Implications.

• Synthesises research on structured vs. balanced literacy
• Highlights teacher training as critical for effective decoding instruction

Gaab et al. (2019). Early Predictors of Reading: The Case for Phonological Awareness.

• Shows phonological awareness is the strongest early predictor of reading outcomes
• fMRI reveals early brain differences in at-risk children

Kucirkova (2019). The Future of Reading in a Digital Age.

• Explores personalisation and e-book design
• Notes risks of algorithm-driven reading

Romeo et al. (2018). Beyond the 30-Million-Word Gap: Conversational Turns Shape Brain Function.

• Conversational turns predict both language skill and neural activation
• Back-and-forth talk is more impactful than word counts

Conway (2018-2024). Why Phonics Teaching Must Change.

• Argues for fidelity-based, multi-sensory phonics approaches
• Critiques balanced literacy as insufficient for struggling readers

Neuman et al. (2018). How Joyful Dialogic Reading Jumpstarts Early Learning.

• Dialogic conversation during reading deepens vocabulary and comprehension
• Teacher prompts significantly increase engagement

Takacs, Swart & Bus (2015). Benefits and Pitfalls of Multimedia and Interactive Features in Digital Storybooks: A Meta-analysis.

• Digital storybooks can boost comprehension and vocabulary when features align with text
• Distracting hotspots and games harm learning

Cárdenas-Hagan (2015). The Role of Morphological Awareness in Reading Development.

• Explicit morphology teaching strengthens comprehension and vocabulary
• Particularly impactful for bilingual and ELL learners

Shaywitz (2003). Overcoming Dyslexia.

• Summarizes cognitive and neurological roots of dyslexia
• Argues for explicit, systematic phonics-based instruction

National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read.

• Comprehensive review of over 600 studies
• Confirmed explicit phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension as pillars