Frustration in technology‐rich learning environments: A scale for assessing student frustration with e‐textbooks

Abstract

e-Textbooks and e-learning technologies have become ubiquitous in college and university courses as faculty seek out ways to provide more engaging, flexible and customizable learning opportunities for students. However, the same technologies that support learning can serve as a source of frustration. Research on frustration with technology is limited, especially in educational settings. This study examined student frustration with e-textbooks and the factors contributing to the frustration within undergraduate general biology courses through the development of an E-Text Frustration scale (ETFS). Exploratory factor analysis of the ETFS revealed a three-factor structure that provides quantified support for frustration with (1) e-textbook interactions on the screen, (2) problems with technology and (3) e-text curriculum integration. This structure was supported by a confirmatory factor analysis. The construct validity of the scale was established using a correlation analysis that revealed significant relationships among the three e-text frustration measures, cognitive load and motivation variables. Furthermore, the measurement invariance analyses indicated that the scale measures the same construct in the same way in males and females. Overall, the study findings suggest that | 409 A SCALE FOR ASSESSING STUDENTS' E-TEXT FRUSTRATION Cognitive load CL theory (Sweller, 2010; Chandler & Sweller, 1991) is considered among the major frameworks in educational research for evaluating learning environments (Klepsch et al., 2017).

Exploring the Characteristics and Attitudes of Electronic Textbook Users and Nonusers

“…Some students prefer the tactile experience of physical books and find it easier to highlight, annotate, and navigate through printed pages (Inie, Barkhuus and Brabrand, 2021). E-textbooks can be affected by technical glitches (Novak et al, 2022), compatibility issues (Casselden and Pears, 2020), ease of use issues (D'Ambra, Akter, and Mariani (2022), or Internet connectivity problems (Jaggars et al, 2021), which can disrupt the learning process. Not all students have access to devices capable of displaying e-textbooks (Carlson, 2005), which can create inequalities among students.…”

Co-Creation During a Course: A Critical Reflection on Opportunities for Co-Learning

“…We assert that tools should require only minimum training to complete basic tasks in the co-creation process. Learners who experience frustration in using a tool are less motivated to continue to engage with the learning process and express poor satisfaction with experience (Novak, 2022) As co-creation requires all participants to be able to access and edit resources and the technical tools or software used to create the resource, the availability of the software is critical to the ease of co-creation. We have experienced challenges with learners not being able to access and work on the same computer systems, which leads to incompatible file sources, which can create barriers to learner participation.…”