Abstract
E-textbooks are often considered the future of textbooks but the current capabilities and implications of app-based textbooks and their corresponding technology are not well outlined. The goal in this study was to understand the effects of the change in medium on the academic reading task, student perception of the devices and components, and identify issues surrounding two in-app components. Students completed four reading tasks in three different size mobile devices and a paper control. The experiment also consisted of a between-subject study where students were asked to use the highlighting or annotation component while reading. Results showed that the devices and components actually changed the way the students interact with their reading. Also, students were generally unhappy with the in-app components and smallest sized device. This information is useful to identify the effects of e-textbook apps on reading behavior, which can be applied to improve the design of future e-textbooks.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Chesser, W.D.: The e-textbook revolution. Libr. Technol. Rep. 47(8), 28 (2011)
McFadden, C.: Are textbooks dead? Making sense of the digital transition. Publish. Res. Q. 28(2), 93–99 (2012)
Merritt, J.E.: Developing Fluent Reading. Open University Press, London (1977)
Phillips, B.J., Phillips, F.: Sink or skim: textbook reading behaviors of introductory accounting students. Issues Account. Educ. 22(1), 21–44 (2007)
Simpson, M.L., Nist, S.L.: An update on strategic learning: it’s more than textbook reading strategies. J Adolesc. Adult Lit. 43(6), 528–541 (2000)
Dillon, A.: Reading from paper versus screens: a critical review of the empirical literature. Ergonomics 35(10), 1297–1326 (1992)
Sweller, J.: Cognitive load theory, learning difficulty, and instructional design. Learn. Instr. 4(4), 295–312 (1994)
Yuan, K., Steedle, J., Shavelson, R., Alonzo, A., Oppezzo, M.: Working memory, fluid intelligence, and science learning. Educ. Res. Rev Neth. 1(2), 83–98 (2006)
DeStefano, D., LeFevre, J.A.: Cognitive load in hypertext reading: a review. Comput. Hum. Behav. 23(3), 1616–1641 (2007)
Weisberg, M.: Student attitudes and behaviors towards digital textbooks. Publish. Res. Q. 27(2), 188–196 (2011)
Demski, J.: Ell to go: two schools transform their Ell programs by giving students around-the-clock access to some of the latest mobile devices. THE J. (Technol. Horizons Educ.) 38(5), 28 (2011)
Woody, W.D., Daniel, D.B., Baker, C.A.: E-books or textbooks: students prefer textbooks. Comput. Educ. 55(3), 945–948 (2010)
Connell, C., Bayliss, L., Farmer, W.: Effects of eBook readers and tablet computers on reading comprehension. Int. J. Instruct. Media 39(2), 131–141 (2012)
Daniel, D.B., Woody, W.D.: E-textbooks at what cost? Performance and use of electronic v. print texts. Comput. Educ. 62, 18–23 (2013)
Shepperd, J.A., Grace, J.L., Koch, E.J.: Evaluating the electronic textbook: is it time to dispense with the paper text? Teach. Psychol. 35(1), 2–5 (2008)
Jardina, J.R., Chaparro, B.S.: Usability, engagement, and satisfaction of two e-textbook applications. In: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, pp. 482–486. Sage Publications, Los Angeles (2013)
Warren, J.W.: The Progression of Digital Publishing: Innovation and the E-volution of E-books. Int. J. Book 7(4) (2010)
Ferguson, J., Giordano, J., Jerome, E., Lipkin, A., Pinnolis, J., Widmer, L.: LTS E-Textbook Analysis. http://bir.brandeis.edu/bitstream/handle/10192/23919/EtextbookReport_LTS-RIS-Spring2010.pdf
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for their support. This research was supported by the Research Grants Council for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (1-904Z).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Sheen, K.A., Luximon, Y., Zhang, J. (2018). Reading Task Investigation of the Kindle app in Three Mediums. In: Goonetilleke, R., Karwowski, W. (eds) Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors. AHFE 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 602. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60825-9_38
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60825-9_38
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60824-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60825-9
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)