Perceptions of Parents on Raz-Kid' s Role in Enhancing Students' Micro and Macro-Skills Holistically: A Study on Ishik Brayaty International Primary School in Erbil

Abstract

Many educational institutions globally have adopted the motto of technology-enriched education. Among others, e-books have come to the forefront with technological developments. Accordingly, e-book apps have gained increasing popularity due to their numerous advantages. Although many studies have been conducted on e-book platforms’ effectiveness on a global scale, Raz-Kid’s influence on students’ macro and micro-skill development has not been studied in the context of Iraq. Bearing this fact in mind, this study is an endeavor to explore parents’ perceptions about a well-known e-reading app, Raz-Kids, in Erbil, Iraq, on students attending Ishik Brayaty International Primary School in the 2023–2024 academic year. Through convenience sampling, 100 parents uncovered their genuine opinions in a mixed-methods research design study. Data were gathered via questionnaire and interview, and analyzed by either SPSS 29 or NVivo. Findings demonstrated that Raz-Kids has the limitless potential to increase students’ linguistic skills holistically. In addition, parents’ and teachers’ encouragement has been considered as the triggering force to increase students’ reading rates. The study’s findings may have certain implications for the stakeholders who plan to integrate means of technology into the curriculum in a balanced way. Thus, some rational steps can be taken to eliminate the negative impacts of technology and highlight the positive aspects via well-designed e-book reading apps and more.