My-Bookstore: Using Information Technology to Support Children's Classroom Reading and Book Recommendation

This paper describes a learning system, named My-Bookstore, where students buy (make records of) books (paper books) which they have read, and then sell (recommend) the books they like to others. This system is designed to encourage elementary students' classroom reading and book recommendation. The long-term influence of the My-Bookstore system on students' reading in terms of word usage and perception among 204 first-grade students who had used the system for three semesters was investigated. The results indicated that (a) the students borrowed a large number of books and were willing to recommend their favorite books in My-Bookstore; (b) most of the students felt that the overall use experience of the My-Bookstore was attractive, and the goal of the game was relevant to their reading. They also had confidence in recommending books and felt satisfaction when other students accepted their recommendations.