Digital Versus Paper Reading Processes and Links to Comprehension for Middle School Students

Abstract

This study explores digital and paper reading processes and outcomes for 371 fifth to eighth graders completing a reading task similar to standardized testing. Results showed students highlighted and annotated more when reading the paper versus digital text. Also, reading on paper versus digitally was slightly supportive of reading comprehension for the longer section of text. For behaviors, digital highlighting and looking back at the paper text were supportive of reading comprehension, whereas paper highlighting was negatively related, likely because paper highlighting tended to occur often outside of important areas of the text. Paper and digital annotating, online dictionary use, and digital look-back did not link to comprehension, when controlling for other covariates. Links to theory, research, and practice are discussed.

Textos Digitales y Comprensión Lectora en Primaria: Una Revisión de Literatura

“…Se encontraron resultados contradictorios al comparar la lectura en textos digitales e impresos. En este grupo de estudios, Goodwin et al (2020) hallaron que las anotaciones en papel y digitales, sumado al uso de diccionarios en línea y el subrayado digital no se vincularon a la comprensión lectora. Así mismo, Alisaari et al (2018) señalan que, independientemente del medio de lectura, los estudiantes comprenden igual con libros y computadoras, es decir, el rendimiento fue similar para el texto impreso y digital texto.…”

“…Algunos estudios hicieron comparaciones directas entre las bondades del texto digital y el texto impreso en la comprensión lectora (Alisaari et al, 2018;Calle & Gómez, 2020;Danaei et al, 2020;Goodwin et al, 2020;Long & Szabo, 2016;Wainwright et al, 2020). Otros contrastaron los efectos del texto digital lineal y el texto digital con hipertextos en la lectura (Blom et al, 2019;Soria, 2015aSoria, , 2015b.…”

Updating Practice Recommendations: Taking Stock of 12 Years of Adolescent Literacy Research

“…New studies also show simple differences between two more basic modalities of reading: static texts (e.g., PDFs) presented on screens and those printed on paper. Research comparing static texts presented on screen versus on paper suggests profound differences in both reading behavior (e.g., Goodwin et al, 2019) and reading comprehension outcomes, with meta‐analyses suggesting the superiority of paper comprehension (e.g., Clinton, 2019; Delgado et al, 2018). With many teachers planning for remote or hybrid learning environments for the fall due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, teachers must be aware of the affordances and constraints of both paper and digital literacies.…”

Characteristics and Validity of an Instrument for Assessing Motivations for Online Reading to Learn

“…Although offline and online reading overlap in many ways, research has suggested that they are not the same. This appears to be the case in less complex contexts, such as when reading on paper is compared with reading the same text on a screen without hyperlinks or other dynamic features (Goodwin et al, 2019). For example, Goodwin et al (2019) found that highlighting was correlated negatively with comprehension in a paper context but positively in a screen context, and suggested that this may point to the increased importance of strategic behaviors in digital contexts.…”

“…Research has suggested that motivation may function somewhat differently online for several reasons. First, although offline and online reading share many similar characteristics, empirical results suggest that they are not the same (Afflerbach & Cho, 2009; Coiro, 2011; Coiro & Dobler, 2007; Goodwin, Cho, Reynolds, Brady, & Salas, 2019). Online contexts may require greater attention to locating, evaluating, and self‐monitoring (B.‐Y.…”