Fostering interest in reading and strengthening reading comprehension ability of primary school students using a children’s literature e-quiz bank on the cloud

Abstract

Reading proficiency and frequency is directly and positively related to students’ academic performance. An online e-quiz bank of children literature, Reading Battle, is developed to enhance students’ reading comprehension ability and interest in reading. Students are invited to read from a collection of children literature then attempt quizzes on the e-quiz bank to evaluate their understanding on the texts. The quizzing process is gamified into a “challenge” for their peers. This article presents the project’s implementation in a Hong Kong primary school over 2 academic years, and discusses findings on the e-quiz platform’s effectiveness. Survey and interview with students and teachers show that there is a perceived improvement in students’ reading comprehension ability and related grades in school assessments, and that gamification of reading books and taking comprehension quizzes has effectively fostered students’ interest in reading.