Adina Shamir

• PhD professor
• Specil edication , PhD Comitee, head at Bar Ilan University

This preliminary study aimed to examine improvement in eye contact among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following an innovative technological intervention integrated with meta-cognitive guidance. Eighteen ASD participants, ages 5–9, were divided into two equal intervention groups—one received metacognitive guidance, and one did not. A...

Spatial language and ability play important roles in children’s cognitive development. Spatial ability in kindergarten predicts achievement in reading, math, science, and technology in primary school and therefore constitutes an important skill set in preparation for school entrance. Good spatial thinking skills are required for learning in school....

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills and their importance to the learning process have been examined in recent years among typically developed children aged three through seven years. The current study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to investigate SRL among children at risk for specific learning disorders (SLD risk). The study has two...

The study’s purpose was to examine the contribution of a programmable robot to an intervention program for promoting spatial ability (spatial relations, visual-memory, mental rotation) of preschool children. Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to three intervention groups: programmable-robot-based intervention, traditional intervention,...

The inclusion of technology in schools, coupled with the importance of promoting reading for students with difficulties in particular, has increased the need for investigating processes that support reading and reading comprehension. The present study therefore focuses on the characteristics of reading from an educational digital book containing an...

The aim of the current study is to compare teachers' attitudes, motivation, and use of iPads to support teaching children with learning disabilities (LD) versus children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three hundred and nine teachers (294 females and 15 males) between the ages of 25 to 62 ( M = 42.66) participated in the study. The teachers we...

The purpose of the current chapter is threefold. First, to describe the rationale underlying the use of e-books in literacy development among children at risk for Learning Disabilities (ALD). Several studies demonstrating the e-book’s potential for promoting literacy among this population are also reviewed. The second and third parts of the chapter...

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of an activity with an educational electronic storybook with math content on the emergent math of kindergarteners at risk for learning disabilities (LD) compared with kindergarteners with typical development (TD). The study included 107 kindergarteners aged 4.6 to 7. Both the participants at risk for L...

Despite young children's increasing access to electronic books (e-books) and the evidence indicating their effectiveness for promoting language and literacy, no study has yet explored the e-book's effect in this area among students with intellectual disability (ID). Motivated by this challenge, the current study sought to investigate the effect of...

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of an activity with an educational electronic book (e-book) on language retention among children at risk for learning disabilities (LD) (seven weeks after the intervention). Two modes of the educational e-book were investigated: with and without metacognitive guidance. Seventy seven ki...

The increasing range and number of electronic books (e-books) available in the children's book market has motivated educators and researchers to investigate how well these platforms can contribute to advancing emergent literacy. Such research has nonetheless been conducted on a much smaller scale in the area of self-regulated learning (SRL) with e-...

This article reviews the authors' findings regarding the electronic book's (e-book's) support of emergent reading among kindergarten-aged children at-risk for reading difficulties. All the studies involved use of educational e-books specially designed by the authors to promote literacy among young children in the 5–6 age group. The review focuses o...

E-books as support for young children’s language and literacy: The case of Hebrew-speaking children Abstract In this paper we present a series of studies performed in the last decade that examined the contribution of e-books reading to the language and literacy of young Hebrew-speaking children. Children worked with two e-books designed by the res...

Two studies which investigated the contribution of reading electronic books (e-books) to kindergarteners' literacy are presented in this article. In the first, the contribution of independent e-book reading compared to adult reading of a printed book to a child was investigated with a comparison between two socioeconomic statuses (SES). One hundred...

Early shared book reading activities are considered to be a promising context for supporting young children’s language development. Ninety low socioeconomic status preschoolers and their mothers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) e-book reading; (2) printed book reading; (3) regular kindergarten literacy program (control). Mothers o...

The purpose of the study reported here was to examine the effect of activity with an educational electronic book (e-book), with/without metacognitive guidance, on the emergent literacy (rhyming) and emergent math (essence of addition, ordinal numbers) of kindergartners at risk for learning disability (LD). Seventy-seven children (M = 5.88, SD = .67...

Presenting cutting-edge studies from various countries into the theoretical and practical issues surrounding the literacy acquisition of at-risk children, this volume focuses specifically on the utility of technology in supporting and advancing literacy among the relevant populations. These include a range of at-risk groups such as those with learn...

The study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling capabilities of students with learning disabilities (LD). The participants were 104 Hebrew-speaking students with LD aged 13–16, who study in special education classes, and were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group, which used laptops, and the control group, which di...

Being a well-integrated person in contemporary technologically oriented society requires more than the mastery of traditional reading and writing skills. While essential mainly for acquiring knowledge, occupational success, and improvement in socioeconomic status worldwide, the computer age demands broadening application of these skills and the int...

As computers increasingly become part of everyday items in the home and the kindergarten, young children are increasingly exposed to an emerging reading medium, the electronic book (“e-books,” “living book,” or “CD-ROM storybook”). Yet, studies on its effectiveness for students at risk remain limited in number and scope. In the current chapter, we...

Early childhood education is currently finding itself at an important juncture in its development as technological innovations meet policy change. The major innovation we are referring to is the entry of computers into the classroom, especially the kindergarten, at an age preceding the formal learning of reading and writing. With respect to policy,...

Mathematical learning difficulties can originate at an early age. However, research on young children’s math development, especially those who are at risk, is in its early stages. The current study is the first to examine the effects of an activity with an educational e-book on emergent math with 52 preschoolers at risk for learning disability (ALD...

We examine the effect of direct and indirect teaching of vocabulary and word reading on pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children following use of an electronic storybook (e-book). The children in each age group were randomly assigned to an intervention group which read the e-book or to a control group which was afforded the regular school program...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of activity with an educational electronic book (e-book), as compared with adult reading of the printed version of the same book, on the vocabulary, phonological awareness as well as concept about print of preschool children at risk for learning disabilities. The study involved the part...

The current study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities (LD). It was conducted as part of the Israeli “Katom” (A Computer for Every Class, Student, and Teacher) Program. Participants included 93 Hebrew-speaking students with LD aged 13–16, who attend 10 special education classes in a regu...

Despite the young child’s increasing access to electronic books and the evidence indicating it’s effectiveness for promoting emergent literacy, research among young children at risk for learning disabilities is only just beginning. Motivated by this challenge, the study reported here compared the effect of an educational e-book on improvements in P...

The question posed in the current study is whether software alone is a sufficient tool for supporting young children’s emergent writing. We researched the effect of reading an electronic book (e-book) on kindergarten children’s emergent word writing with and without adult support. Ninety-six 5 to 6years old children from low socioeconomic status (S...

This chapter presents a computer-assisted social skills learning program, and related outcome research studies, in an attempt to demonstrate the use of technology within intervention programming. In the current program, the computer was used as a controlled environment for experimenting and rehearsing solutions for social conflicts, and promoting m...

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of e-book activity for vocabulary acquisition and story comprehension among kindergarteners at risk for learning disabilities (LD) as opposed to typically developing (TD) children. Participants included 136 children aged between five and seven (M = 71.2; SD = 5.64, in months), 75...

The effects of e-book and printed book reading on children's emergent reading with and without adult mediation were investigated. Educational electronic storybooks developed to support young children's early literacy were used. One hundred and twenty eight 5 to 6 year-old kindergarten children from low SES families were randomly assigned to one of...

The effects of electronic book (e-book) and printed book reading on children’s emergent reading with and without adult instruction were investigated. One hundred twenty-eight 5- to 6-year-old kindergarten children from low SES families were randomly assigned to one of four groups (32 children each): (1) independently reading the e-book (EB); (2) re...

The effects of a peer-mediation program and training in analogies versus math on mediation strategies, cognitive modifiability, and math were investigated with 78 tutor-tutee dyads. Experimental group tutors (EGT, n = 39) received the Peer-Mediation for Young Children program, whereas control group tutors (CGT, n = 39) received a substitute program...

This study investigated the effectiveness of assessing young children’s meta-cognition in different contexts (i.e., individual learning (IL), peer assisted learning (PAL) and self-reports). Additionally, the contributions of declarative and procedural meta-cognition in IL and PAL, TOM and language ability on children’s cognitive performance (recall...

This research investigated the effects of an educational electronic book (e‐book) on low socioeconomic status (SES) kindergarteners' emergent literacy while focusing on the relationship between process and outcomes during joint learning. The sample (96 kindergarteners, aged five to six) was randomly assigned to experimental (e‐book activation) and...

We investigated the effects of a highly rated commercial electronic book (e-book) for young children on kindergarteners’ emergent literacy skills within the context of paired peer versus individual use of the e-book. The sample of 110 kindergarteners had a mean age of 5.64 years and approximately equal numbers of boys and girls, randomly chosen fro...

The main objective of the study reported was to explore the effect on young children’s critical thinking of a peer-tutoring training embedded with the metacognitive processes required for problem-based learning and, consequently, for critical thinking. The sample consisted of 90 first- and third-grade pupils (45 pairs) randomly assigned to the expe...

The effects of an educational electronic book (e-book) on 149 five- to six-year-old kindergarteners’ emergent literacy levels were researched in two SES groups: low (LSES) (79 children) vs. middle (MSES) (70 children). In each SES group, children were randomly assigned to four groups. Three groups were assigned to work individually in one of three...

This preliminary study investigated the effects of a novel educational electronic book (e-book) developed by the authors to further kindergarteners' emergent literacy skills within a “paired-learning” versus “individual learning” context. Of the 72 children randomly chosen from three kindergartens in a low SES township in the country where the rese...

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of a peer mediation intervention on self‐regulated learning of students with learning disabilities. The research captured both process and outcomes of peer tutoring following the tutors’ experience of the intervention programme. Tutors’ self‐regulated learning was measured by modificati...

Abstract We compared the effects of children's reading of an educational electronic storybook on their emergent literacy with those of being read the same story in its printed version by an adult. We investigated 128 5- to 6-year-old kindergarteners; 64 children from each of two socio-economic status (SES) groups: low (LSES) and middle (MSES). In e...

Peer mediation with young children is a relatively novel approach aimed at teaching young children how to mediate to their peers. The main benefits of peer mediation are in developing children's mediation teaching style and cognitive modifiability. The peer mediation developed recently is based on Vygotsky's sociocultural and Feuerstein's mediated...

The Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC) was investigated in computerized versus noncomputerized environments using process (e.g., mediation strategies) and performance variables (e.g., cognitive modifiability) as outcome measures. The sample consisted of 108 pupils drawn from fourth- (tutors) and first-grade (tutored) classes randomly assigne...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of how interpretations of the construct of inclusion have changed in general but especially in the light of local circumstances. The survey covers inclusion developments in the USA, Europe and Israel. In assessing some implications of those interpretations, we focus on how Israel, an inherent...

The objectives of the current study were to examine: (a) the effects of the Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC) program on mediators’ and learners’ mediation style in the context of maths teaching; and (b) the interaction effects of the intervention program, children's verbal ability, and maths level on pre- to postintervention improvement in...

This article addresses some key criteria for educators as they choose CD-ROM storybooks for young children's literacy development. The article includes: (1) A review of the pertinent literature on the quality and appropriateness of CD-ROM storybooks for literacy development; (2) An evaluation questionnaire to guide teachers in selecting CD-ROM stor...

The authors investigated the effect of the Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC) program on autonomy behavior of children trained to be mediators and on children mediated by trained peers. Previous findings have revealed higher levels of mediational teaching style and higher cognitive modifiability, a trait we believe to be associated with auto...

This study focuses on the results of an intervention meant to explore the cross-aged peer mediation profiles (mediational styles) displayed by junior high school students. The main objectives of this study were to describe: (a) the mediational teaching styles of mediators in experimental and control groups, (b) the non-mediational behaviours of med...

Abstract This replication study of Hebrew versus Dutch electronic books for young children was based on De Jong & Bus's content analysis, which explored whether e-books are appropriate supports for young children's literacy development. Our criteria for analysing 43 Hebrew e-books for young children included book processing, multimedia in pictures,...

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a programme providing cross-age peer-mediation on mediation teaching style of mediators and learners in a learning situation. A second objective was to investigate the effects of the mediators‘ and learners‘ cognitive level on different criteria of mediation. The sample was composed...

This article reports the results of a replication study aimed at exploring the feasibility of cross-cultural implementation of Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC), a novel cognitive intervention program originally developed for Israeli children. The main objectives of the PMYC program are to improve mediating children’s teaching style, develo...

Abstract. This study examined the effects of the computer-assisted dynamic assessment (DA) on cognitive performance as compared to DA with an examiner. The DA approach is based on Feuerstein’s mediated learning experience theory and Tzuriel’s DA approach with young children. A sample of kindergarden children (n = 60) were assigned to either a Compu...