The Academic Reading Format International Study (ARFIS): final results of a comparative survey analysis of 21,265 students in 33 countries

Abstract

PurposeThis paper presents the complete findings from the Academic Reading Format International Study (ARFIS), the world's largest study of tertiary students' format preferences and behaviors. The analysis of ARFIS proceeded in two stages. This paper reveals results from the second stage for the first time and compares them with the earlier results. The authors then present and discuss the results from the combined datasets of 21,266 students in 33 countries.Design/methodology/approachA total of 44 members in the ARFIS research team distributed an online survey composed of 22 Likert-style, multiple choice and open-ended questions to tertiary students on their format preferences and behaviors. Inferential statistical analysis was used on participant responses, and descriptive statistics analysis was used on the combined amalgamated dataset.FindingsMajorities of students in all countries consistently show preference for reading their academic texts in print. However, variations of preferences do occur between countries. Overall, the language of a reading does not affect reading format preferences, but national scores on this question are greatly diverse.Originality/valueARFIS is the largest study of its kind created through a collaboration of researchers in countries on six continents, collecting data in more than 20 languages. The sample size, rigorous statistical analysis and consistency of results strengthen the reliability of the findings. Analysis of the first dataset has received widespread recognition, but this paper is the first to publish the second dataset and the complete amalgamated results.

Reading Format Attitudes in the Time of COVID

“…Majorities in all countries also agreed or strongly agreed that they could focus better and remember the information better when they read in print. Final quantitative analysis of all 21,265 students in 33 countries ( Mizrachi et al, 2021 ) confirmed earlier findings. ARFIS researchers then performed a qualitative analysis of English language comments by students categorized as either print preferrers or electronic preferrers to discover the reasons for their preferences, and under what circumstances they would consider reading a text in their less preferred format ( Mizrachi & Salaz, 2020 ).…”

“…To the surprise of many in various areas of education, studies continued to show that tertiary students preferred to read their academic texts in print for deep learning tasks such as when they needed to focus and internalize the information ( Dilevko & Gottlieb, 2002 ; Liu, 2006 ; Mizrachi, 2015 ; Mizrachi & Salaz, 2020 ). One of the largest studies to date documenting this phenomenon is the Academic Reading Format International Study (ARFIS) ( Mizrachi et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Forty-two researchers in 33 countries collaborated on ARFIS, using the same instrument to survey over 21,000 students ( Muthuprasad et al, 2021 ; Mizrachi et al, 2021 ). Data gathering occurred from 2014 to 2017 and was analyzed in three stages.…”

“…Studies investigating tertiary students' attitudes and behaviors with print and electronic reading formats over the last twenty years show a consistent preference for print reading when deep learning is required, (e.g. Dilevko & Gottlieb, 2002 ; Liu, 2006 ; Mizrachi, Salaz, Kurbanoglu, & Boustany, 2021 ; Mizrachi, Salaz, Kurbanoglu, Boustany, & ARFIS Research Group, 2018 ). Beginning in March 2020 however, the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing restrictions forced many universities to transition suddenly from in-person to remote learning.…”

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

“…Because of these advantages, many institutions of higher education have adopted e-texts by integrating them directly into learning management systems to provide students with new and diversified learning opportunities and first-day access to materials (Chapman et al, 2016;Dennis, 2011). Despite the growing availability of e-texts and the multitude of available learning tools, the acceptance of e-texts is slower than was predicted in K-12 and post-secondary settings (Mizrachi et al, 2021). According to the world's largest study of reading format preferences and behaviours in tertiary students (Mizrachi at el., 2021), majorities of students from 33 countries prefer print over e-text for academic readings.…”