A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This meta-analysis examines the inconsistent findings across experimental studies that compared children’s learning outcomes with digital and paper books. We quantitatively reviewed 39 studies reported in 30 articles (n = 1,812 children) and compared children’s story comprehension and vocabulary learning in relation to medium (reading on paper versus on-screen), design enhancements in digital books, the presence of a dictionary, and adult support for children aged between 1 and 8 years. The comparison of digital versus paper books that only differed by digitization showed lower comprehension scores for digital books. Adults’ mediation during print books’ reading was more effective than the enhancements in digital books read by children independently. However, with story-congruent enhancements, digital books outperformed paper books. An embedded dictionary had no or negative effect on children’s story comprehension but positively affected children’s vocabulary learning. Findings are discussed in relation to the cognitive load theory and practical design implications.

Teaching mathematics with mobile devices and the Realistic Mathematical Education (RME) approach in kindergarten

“…There are multiple advantages concerning using these devices in the learning process, including stimulus, motivation, ease of use, availability, connectivity, among others (Kim et al, 2021). Smart mobile devices could become the new means of providing educational content to students (Furenes et al, 2021).…”

L2 vocabulary learning from educational media: The influence of screen‐based scaffolds on the incidental–intentional continuum

“…Applying a fine‐grained analysis to the macrostructures that govern media content (Linebarger et al, 2017) and considering how incidental–intentional learning environments (Hulstijn, 2003) contribute to L2 word learning in media, the narrative instructional context may have been more cognitively demanding of DLL viewers, requiring them to discern new, heavily contextualized words that were tossed between characters in dialogue. New information in narrative genres is similarly challenging for preschoolers to process in both digital media and in‐person environments (Courage, 2019; Furenes, Kucirkova, & Bus, 2021; Neuman, Wong, & Kaefer, 2017; Wong & Neuman, 2019b). Drawing from shared book reading pedagogy that often uses narrative storybooks to promote both L1 and L2 language and literacy development in young children (Flack, Field, & Horst, 2018), researchers acknowledge the importance of providing explicit guidance (e.g., offering pre‐ and post‐reading activities that reinforce the content of the book) and reading comprehension skills (e.g., using context clues to decipher unfamiliar words) to reduce the cognitive demands needed to understand narrative texts (Fitton, McIlraith, & Wood, 2018).…”

“…Applying a fine-grained analysis to the macrostructures that govern media content (Linebarger et al, 2017) and considering how incidental-intentional learning environments (Hulstijn, 2003) contribute to L2 word learning in media, the narrative instructional context may have been more cognitively demanding of DLL viewers, requiring them to discern new, heavily contextualized words that were tossed between characters in dialogue. New information in narrative genres is similarly challenging for preschoolers to process in both digital media and in-person environments (Courage, 2019;Furenes, Kucirkova, & Bus, 2021;Neuman, Wong, & Kaefer, 2017;Wong & Neuman, 2019b).…”

Toward Digital Picture Books for a New Generation of Emergent Readers

“…Often studied additions to the primarily book-like designs of a new generation of digital picture books are animations or sounds that occur automatically or when a user touches a specific spot on the screen (Christ et al, 2019; Korat & Falk, 2017; Piotrowski & Kcmar, 2017; Unsworth, 2014; Xu et al, 2020). As a recent meta-analysis confirmed, these enhancements in so far providing information about the meaning of not-so-familiar words may distract children’s attention from the storyline and interfere with meaning making (Furenes et al, 2021). The more promising versions of such enhancements activate background knowledge or provide an additional explanation (e.g., clicking on people sitting in the doctor’s waiting room reveals why they are there).…”