E-book Features that Adolescent English Learners in Taiwan Favored

This study aims at exploring the features of e-books that adolescent EFL (English as a foreign language) students in Taiwan favored. This study recruited 109 ninth graders in a junior high school in northern Taiwan to participate in a 10-week extensive reading program (ERP) of 140 available e-books. During the experiment, they read an e-book together and participated in a 10-minute discussion in class every Monday. They were also encouraged to read more outside class. After reading an e-book, they filled out a self-report form; and, at the end of the program, they completed a questionnaire on their overall reactions to the program. The teacher also collected field notes by observing the participants' reading behaviors and reactions as well as their spontaneous oral or written feedback in class, serving for triangulation with the other data. The results showed that our participants reported five features of e-books that they liked and found helpful, including oral reading, highlighting, pictures, animations, and music/sound effects. In addition, they were attracted to e-books that offer interactive and control functions. This study concluded that e-books with features that adolescent English learners favored were those that helped to increase their reading interest and motivation; also, e-book reading programs may help to develop adolescent learners' reading in English.