An Exploratory Study of Involving Parents in E-book Joint Reading with Voice Agents

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dc.contributor.authorVargas Diaz, Daniel Alfredoen
dc.contributor.committeechairLee, Sang Wonen
dc.contributor.committeememberChoi, Koeunen
dc.contributor.committeememberChen, Yanen
dc.contributor.departmentComputer Science and#38; Applicationsen
dc.date.accessioned2024-06-07T08:00:30Zen
dc.date.available2024-06-07T08:00:30Zen
dc.date.issued2024-06-06en
dc.description.abstractParent-child interactions during joint reading play an important role in young children's cognitive and language development. However, contemporary digital book formats---such as e-books or audiobooks---often overlook the role of the parent in reading the text, by either dubbing voice narration over it or reading it aloud automatically. With the advancement and prevalence of voice-based conversational artificial intelligence (AI) agents, AI reading an e-book emerges as a novel reading experience, yet reducing the role of parents in the reading process similarly. When the reading experience becomes less of a joint activity between children and parents, the potential benefits children can gain from reading may diminish. In this study involving 11 parent-child pairs, we aimed to explore how voice agents (VAs) could be used to create an interactive digital space to 1) promote parental engagement in joint e-book reading with children and 2) enhance parents' and children's joint reading experiences. We developed and evaluated TaleMate, an interactive joint reading app that allows parents and children ages 3-6 years to assign different AI voices to the characters from a book while enabling parents to embody one of the characters to read the book with the voice agents. We found that the system supported children's engagement and story comprehension. Parents reported that they found value in the interactivity of the system and enjoyed a participatory, joint reading experience, where both they and their children could choose which characters to embody. These findings offer insights into design considerations for researchers interested in developing applications that facilitate collaborative reading experiences involving parents, children, and voice agents.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralIn today's digital age, the traditional practice of joint reading between parents and children is evolving. E-books and voice agents (VAs) are becoming more prevalent, but often reduce parental involvement in the reading process, potentially diminishing the benefits for children's cognitive and language development. This study introduces "TaleMate," an innovative app designed to enhance the joint reading experience. TaleMate allows parents and their children (ages 3-6) to engage interactively by assigning roles and voice agents to different characters in a story. Our research involved 11 parent-child pairs, focusing on evaluating the app's ability to maintain parental engagement and improve the reading experience. The findings reveal that TaleMate effectively supports children's engagement and story comprehension while providing a more interactive and enjoyable reading experience for both parents and children. This exploratory study suggests that digital reading formats, when designed thoughtfully, can successfully incorporate voice agents to not only preserve but enhance the valuable interactions in joint reading sessions.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:40655en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/119329en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectvoice agentsen
dc.subjectjoint readingen
dc.subjectparentsen
dc.subjecte-booken
dc.subjectchildrenen
dc.titleAn Exploratory Study of Involving Parents in E-book Joint Reading with Voice Agentsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineComputer Science & Applicationsen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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