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Volume 4,Issue 3

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26 February 2026

The Practical Dilemmas and Implementation Paths of Digital Picture Books in Supporting Young Children's Deep Learning

Tengwei Fang1 Yi Liu1 Hui Deng1 Mohan Liu*
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1 School of Education, Jilin International Studies University, Changchun 130117, Jilin, China
CEF 2026 , 4(2), 215–219; https://doi.org/10.18063/CEF.v4i2.1613
© 2026 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Digital picture books, with their multimodal narrative and interactive features, demonstrate unique advantages in stimulating young children's reading interest and promoting multimodal learning. However, current research and practice predominantly focus on superficial interest stimulation and knowledge acquisition, lacking in-depth exploration of how digital picture books can foster core competencies for deep learning in young children, such as thinking quality and inquiry ability. Based on a review of relevant research, this paper analyzes the practical dilemmas faced by digital picture books in supporting young children's deep learning, including technological bias, contextual fragmentation, and the absence of deep scaffolding. It then proposes practical pathways from four dimensions: conceptual reshaping, instructional integration, teacher guidance, and assessment design, aiming to provide references for the optimized design and educational application of digital picture books.

Keywords
digital picture books
deep learning in young children
multimodal learning
instructional intervention
Funding
Project of the subject: Jilin Province Primary and Secondary School Teaching Research Association's 2025 Special Project on College Students' Research Topics “ A Study on the Effect of Digital Picture Books in Supporting Young Children's Deep Learning” (Project No.: GHKT2025-0038)
References

[1] Furenes M I, Kucirkova N, Bus A G, 2021, A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517.

[2] Wu XY, 2024, Exploring the effects of digital technology on deep learning: a meta-analysis. Education and Information Technologies, 29(1): 425-458.

[3] Brown S, Hao L, Zhang R, 2025, “The dinosaurs are so loud; they can’t sleep. Zzzz”: Supporting emergent bilingual children’s reading comprehension through digital literacies. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 25(1): 81-108.

[4] Yan Y, Zheng Y, Ye X, 2025, The impact of IVR-ADDIE-based digital storytelling teaching mode on students’ self-regulation ability and self-efficacy. Education and Information Technologies, 30(5): 6141-6162.

[5] Sylla C, Pereira ISP, Coutinho CP, et al., 2015, Digital manipulatives as scaffolds for preschoolers’ language development. IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, 4(3): 439-449.

[6] Nilsen M, 2024, Digital childhoods and multilingual identities: Preschool children's interactions with a picture book app. Children & Society.

 

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