Type of Feedback and Young Children's Performance on Computer Presented Reading Readiness Activities

Summary Forty children, between the ages of three years ten months and four years six months and with a mean age of four years three months, did computer‐presented reading‐readiness activities under different pre‐activity and feedback conditions. The children were randomly allocated within sexes to four groups. Group 1 listened to a story which involved a teddy bear character called BJ Bear and then did reading‐readiness activities such that the smiling face of the bear appeared on the screen and a tune played when they responded correctly, and the sad face of the bear when they were incorrect. Group 2 listened to the story and then did the activities with the smiling face of the bear and a tune when correct, but with nothing when they were wrong. Group 3 did not receive the story, but did the activities with both the smiling face of the bear and a tune when correct, and the sad face of the bear when incorrect. Group 4 also did not receive the story and did the activities with the smiling face of the bear and a tune when correct, but with nothing when they were wrong. Overall it was found that children did significantly better if given the story about BJ before the activities. There was also a significant interaction between the story condition, feedback for incorrect responses and sex such that performance was better for all with‐story groups except in the case of boys with no feedback.