A Library in the Palm of Your Hand? A Randomized Field Experiment with Low-Income Children

  • Reading comprehension is critical for academic success, yet children from disadvantaged backgrounds often engage in reading less frequently than their more advantaged peers. This study evaluates the impact of a randomized reading intervention targeting 11{12-year-olds from low-income households in Germany. As part of the intervention, children received e-book readers with access to a large digital library of age-appropriate books. The results show a signicant increase in reading engage- ment, leading to improvements in academic performance. 12 months after the start of the intervention, academic performance improved by 10.3% of a standard devia- tion, with eects persisting at 9.6% after 30 months. Additionally, the intervention positively impacted the socioemotional well-being of the children.

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Author:Silke Anger, Bernhard Christoph, Agata Galkiewicz, Shushanik Margaryan, Frauke Peter, Malte SandnerORCiD, Thomas Siedler
URL / DOI:https://docs.iza.org/dp17322.pdf
ISSN:2365-9793
Parent Title (English):IZA : Discussion paper series
Document Type:Working Paper
Language:English
Date of first Publication:2024/09/01
Creating Corporation:IZA : Institute of Labor Economics
Release Date:2026/01/12
Issue:17322
Pagenumber:77
institutes:Fakultät Betriebswirtschaft
Research Themes:Soziale & ökonomische Transformation
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