A comparison of the influence of electronic books and paper books on reading comprehension, eye fatigue, and perception
| Published date | 01 June 2012 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471211241663 |
| Date | 01 June 2012 |
| Pages | 390-408 |
| Author | Hanho Jeong |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
A comparison of the influence of
electronic books and paper books
on reading comprehension, eye
fatigue, and perception
Hanho Jeong
Department of Education, Chongshin University, Seoul, South Korea
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to assess the usability of electronic books (e-books) and paper books
(p-books) with objective measures, including user comprehension, eye fatigue, and perception.
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 56 sixth-year public school students participated in
this study. This paper was conducted in the following order: pre-CFF measurement, p-/e-book reading,
post-CFF measurement, quiz, and questionnaire. A standard CFF device, a computer with a monitor
for reading e-books, p-books, desks, and chairs were provided.
Findings – This paper found that there is a significant “book effect” on quiz scores; compared to
e-books, p-books appear to enable better reading comprehension. Regarding eye fatigue, students had
significantly greater eye fatigue after reading e-books than after reading p-books. Students were
satisfied with the e-book, but they preferred p-books.
Research limitations/implications – Students would show satisfaction with e-books and
acknowledge their usefulness, but still prefer p-books. However, a clearer understanding of this
paradox in perception is needed. Further studies should try to explore the students’ perceptions of
e-books.
Practical implications – Surprisingly, though, Korean students studied herein, who have had a
higher level of exposure to technology than those in other countries, did not show positive behavioral
intentions toward e-books. Overall, the responses from the Korean students suggest that there was
general satisfaction with reading e-books on screen. However, this study also found a discordance in
the students’ perceptions of e-books. In this study, most students grew tired of reading on the screen;
this tiredness could have an adverse effect on both reading comprehension and the perception of
e-books. In further analyzing user responses, many of the critical remarks were found to refer to the
screen/text size or clarity rather than to the e-book itself.
Originality/value – Although this study suggests that students in general are not yet ready to
entirely give up p-books, e-books are becoming increasingly common. However, great challenges
remain in terms of making e-book content more available and in enabling improved comprehension
and reducing eye fatigue.
Keywords Electronic book,E-books, Paper book, Reading comprehension,Eye fatigue,
Students’ perception of electronicbooks, Students, Perception, SouthKorea
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Following the rise to prominence of electronic book (e-book) technology in the late
1990s, e-books have been a popular topic in recent years (Langston, 2003). E-books can
effectively support an academic mission by saving time, adding value as a collective
online reference, and enabling dynamic and cost-effective collection management (Cox,
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
EL
30,3
390
Received March 2010
Revised October 2010
Accepted December 2010
The Electronic Library
Vol. 30 No. 3, 2012
pp. 390-408
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640471211241663
2004). An e-book comprises a digital body primarily of text with a defined scope. The
term “e-book” is used to describe a text analogous to a book that is digitally displayed
on the screen of a computer, a personal digital assistant, or a specifically designed
reader; it may comprise text, graphics, video, animation, and/or sound. The e-book is a
new platform for accessing digital information that capitalizes on the benefits of
electronic reading while providing many of the advantages of paper books (p-books)
(Landoni and Hanlon, 2007). E-books have some advantages over printed books, such
as settings and particular purposes. On the positive side, two of the most popular
reasons for using e-books include their “searchability” and the fact that they are
available 24 hours a day.
E-book readers can find specific content more easily and more efficiently than in a
p-book (Shelburne, 2009). An e-book, for example, usually has fairly short articles that
can be displayed on a few screens, and reading at a computer monitor is acceptable to
most users under e-library systems (Dennis et al., 2008). By enabling individuals to find
information and to determine whether a book’s content is appropriate without having
to make a trip to the library, an e-book’s time-saving benefits are clear. In additions,
students like the lightness and portability of e-book devices, as well as navigation
capability, ease of use, storage capacity, and the use of e-ink for displaying content on
the screen (Gibson and Gibb, 2011). Futurist Kelly (2006) anticipated that, in the near
future, “all new works will be born digital” (p. 43). A 2009 study by Shelburne at the
University of Illinois found that the overall lifetime usage of the Springer e-book
collections at the University of Illinois Library as of February 2009 was 124,026
chapter downloads. This includes 3,992 chapter downloads from August 2006 through
December 2006, 26,675 for 2007, 82,622 for 2008, and 10,737 in January 2009. The
e-book has taken its place beside its print counterpart as an accepted method of
accessing the published word, and it is now seen as a normal element of any library
collection. It may be true that more and more of what we read will be digitalized.
However, despite likely improvements in e-books, there is still a debate over the
effects of this mode of reading. E-books present an exciting but also controversial topic
for users. This issue has to do with poor legibility, intrinsic complexity, and poor
design (Dillon, 1994; Nielsen, 2000). These features contribute to an increase in one’s
cognitive load because it is more demanding on an individual’s attention and
comprehension (Sweller, 1994). In most of the studies reported thus far, measurements
of reading time or the amount of errors found in proofreading tasks have been used to
assess surface legibility. Reading on a standard computer display is more error prone
and is approximately 20 percent slower than reading on paper (Nielsen, 2000).
Although inexperience with an e-book is less likely than before, there are some
concerns about using an e-book as reading material. Carlson (2002) indicated that the
difficulty of navigating through an e-book is one of the biggest complaints from its
users. After studying 27 libraries and information science students’ use and experience
with e-books, Chu (2003) indicated that the primary reason for not using e-books was
the difficulty of moving within an e-book. According to a study by Hernon et al. (2006),
moving from page to page on an e-book is tedious, and it is difficult to find specific
chapters in the text or to locate particular words. These difficulties have a negative
impact on students’ perceptions of e-books. Through previous studies, we find that
users have been hampered by poor legibility or interface difficulties while reading an
e-book on screen.
Influence of
e-books on
reading
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