"Differences in Print and Screen Reading in Graduate Students"

Download PDF

About the Author

Lauren J. Short is a PhD candidate in Composition at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include religious rhetorics, feminist rhetorics, and digital literacy pedagogy.

Contents

Introduction

Theory

Study Aims and Introduction to Research Framework

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

References

Appendix: Interview Questions

Introduction

For decades, if not longer, many fields have taken an interest in how people read. In composition and rhetoric studies, scholars have attempted to break with the notion that reading and writing are two entirely separate entities, and should be taught alongside one another, a conversation in which I would like situate myself (Carillo 2014; Elbow, 1993). Furthermore, in the past decade, neuroscientists have taken a distinct interest in how the human brain reads (Dehaene, 2009; Wolf & Stoodley, 2007). While cognitive studies have shown that reading physical texts leads to higher comprehension reading texts on a screen, the convenience of technology is undeniable. Some students choose to forgo reading a printed text to save money (eBooks are often cheaper than their hard copy counterparts); for environmental purposes (saving paper and ink); and for accessibility and ease of carrying multiple texts in one place.

While many studies confirm that reading in print leads to higher comprehension than reading on a screen, oftentimes the difference is minor (Jabr, 2013). In fact, some studies have prompted scholars to look beyond initial reading comprehension and consider long-term memory. According to a study in 2003, for example, at the University of Leicester, 50 students were asked to read introductory course materials either in print or on an LCD screen. The study confirmed that after 20 minutes of reading, students who read in print or on screen scored “equally well” in a multiple-choice quiz (Jabr, 2013). If differences in comprehension and long-term memory recall are negligible, people may choose reading materials based on preference alone.

In order to better understand student reading preference, I have conducted an IRB-approved pilot study in which I interviewed six graduate students from a public state university in the northeastern United States about their reading habits in print and on screen. Given that research in this area has primarily focused on undergraduates, my interviews with graduate students should provide a fresh perspective for this issue. Graduate students tend to do much more reading than undergraduates and are required to comprehend those texts they’ve read and recall them. Such expectations require them to make use of some kind of reading strategies. The existing research has also appeared to be most intent on discovering students’ on-screen reading habits, whereas my study sheds light on how reading habits and/or strategies differ between on-screen and print and why. This study reveals the reasons why graduate students prefer reading print or digital texts and what makes a text difficult for them to interact with. This study will provide insight into what instructors can do to better serve their students when examining course-specific content.