The smell of paper or the shine of a screen? Students’ reading comprehension, text processing, and attitudes when reading on paper and screen

Abstract

With the increasing prevalence of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and e-readers, more and more reading is happening in digital formats – also in classrooms across the world. The present study focuses on lower secondary school students and their reading comprehension and attitudes toward reading on paper and screens. The study uses an innovative methodological approach were eye-tracking technology is used to observe ten carefully sampled eight grade students with different reading levels. The students read a selection of texts and answered questions from the Norwegian national reading assessment on comparable versions on paper and on screen. By analyzing eye movement data (reading transitions), including more than 25000 fixations, in combination with text reading comprehension outcomes, students' cued retrospective reporting from reading, and interview data we have obtained detailed and comprehensive data on students' reading comprehension, reading behavior, and reading experiences across different media. A key result is that reading on screen leads to more shallow processing and can hinder reading comprehension. Importantly, our results from the students' cued retrospective reporting of their eye tracking, showed that they were unaware of their reading behavior and didn't reflect much on reading in different media. These findings have implications for the increasing shift to digital learning environments in the educational context. It is important to recognize the difference between reading processes, and policymakers and practitioners cannot assume that these processes are the same across individuals and different delivery modes.