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Paper vs. screen: what works best in children’s reading?
Paper vs. screen: what works best in children’s reading?
Marta Pellegrini, University of Florence, Italy
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There is large interest in the literature on digital books and their effect on children’s reading skills. A recent meta-analysis clarifies the impact of medium (paper vs. screen) on reading comprehension and vocabulary.
To be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to use experimental or quasi-experimental designs; compare reading a narrative in both digital and print formats in school, home, or lab settings; and include students 1-8 years old. Thirty-nine studies were included in the review. In five studies, digital books contained the same content as paper books, while the other studies’ digital books included additional features: Thirteen digital books were supplemented with a dictionary, and eighteen digital books included story-related enhancements, such as digital story-telling.
The results showed a positive impact of digital books compared to paper books on vocabulary (ES = +0.20) but not on story comprehension (ES = -0.07). Characteristics of settings and books were found to be relevant for the effectiveness of digital books or paper books:
The authors concluded that digital books outperformed paper books when they included enhancements related to the story. Furthermore, a dictionary in digital books helped children with word acquisition but not in meaning-making. The practical recommendation for parents and teachers is to pay attention to the design of digital books and select the ones with content-related enhancements.
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