The impact of interface on ESL reading comprehension and strategy use: A comparison of e‐books and paper texts

Abstract

The use of e‐books in postsecondary education is projected to increase, yet many English as a second language (ESL) institutions have not yet incorporated e‐books into their curricula, in part due to a dearth of research regarding their potential impacts on ESL reading comprehension and strategy use. This study fills a gap in the existing research by investigating the impacts of contemporary e‐books on ESL strategy use and reading comprehension, in comparison to paper texts. Twenty‐two high‐intermediate ESL participants were separated evenly into a paper text group and an e‐book group. They were given pretests, support strategy mini‐lessons, reading sessions with observation, posttests, surveys, and delayed posttests. Independent‐sample t‐tests revealed no significant difference between the groups’ reading comprehension rates; however, reading strategy use and frequency varied between groups. Though the majority of e‐book participants had not previously used e‐books for learning, they reported preferring them over paper texts after the reading sessions were completed. The study's findings offer some support for the incorporation of e‐books in ESL curricula. In addition, the findings suggest that instructors provide e‐book strategy lessons to students so they can appropriate the technology effectively.