SBIR-STTR Award

Recently, Bantam Books, Pocket Books, and Random House have each published an enormously popular series of children's books. In these books, the reader is cast as the central character in the story and is required to make a series of decisions. Each decision is represented as a dichotomy. The reader is directed to different pages in the book, depending on the decisions made, and thereby experiences a particular set of consequences as a result of the choices.The publishers attribute the series' popularity to several factors. The stories actively engage the reader, are short (usually 10 to 12 pages) and fast-moving, and allow the reader to exercise some control over the outcome. According to teachers who have used these books to teach students to read, they are particularly helpful in stimulating the interest of male students and of students who have shown little interest and/or who have been slow in learning to read. These books have not, however, been used as vehicles to convey specific factual information.Because the commercial success and the interest and acceptance of this reading format by pre- and early adolescents have been so clearly demonstrated, this project proposes to apply this innovative concept to the development of a series of health education books for pre- and early adolescents.In Phase 1, through formal and informal surveys of teachers, health educators, children's publishers, and writers, the investigators will determine the viability and marketability of this concept and identify two to three appropriate health topics. In addition, the investigators will assess the feasibility of this interactive reading format to accurately depict the probabilities of various health outcomes as they relate to individual behavioral choices.If the viability and marketability of this concept are borne out in Phase 1, Phase II would develop a parallel series of two to three health education books using both the interactive reading format and a straightforward format. Effectiveness of these two educational formats would be compared using a tightly controlled experiment design. Impact on cognitive and effective outcomes and behavioral intentions would be assessed via multiple measurement techniques and instruments.National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development

This project will evaluate a series of supplemental health books for children aged 9-14. The books will adapt an interactive format, such as that found in Bantam's Choose Your Own Adventure series, to health education topics. Character(s) in an interactive story select different options when faced with a difficult situation. Depending on the choices, the reader turns to a particular page and follows the storyline. The stories will demonstrate the various outcomes of health-related risk behavior for a set of characters with which students can identify. Three interactive books will be developed simultaneously with three traditional (straightforward, didactic) booklets on parallel topics.The research will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of interactive reading materials and an interactive curriculum compared to traditional health education approaches in terms of(1) attitude changes,(2) knowledge changes,(3) behavioral intent and changes, and(4) response to and motivation to utilize materials in each of the health topics. The research will specifically assess(1) differences between the educational impact of interactive books compared to traditional reading material;(2) effects of learning as augmented by teacher and curriculum interaction; and(3) individual student characteristics.A tightly controlled experimental design in 24 classrooms will be augmented by a field evaluation in an additional 40 classrooms.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)