Almost everything can be found and done on the internet now especially that it keeps on improving over time. We’ve even read a lot of text digitally that range from different categories such as news articles or stories published online. This has sparked a debate whether which is better when it comes to reading and which is an effective medium when it comes to reading comprehension.
The print vs digital reading argument has been up for a long time and according to Google, an assistant professor named Virginia Clinton found out that when she encouraged her students to use cheaper digital version of textbooks and free materials online so they can save money from using textbooks, majority of her students stated that they preferred paper.
Below are the reasons why people prefer paper more than digital reading and the result on print vs digital reading research.
- Research results
The researches made regarding print vs digital reading shows that people have better reading comprehension when using paper as a medium than digital. New Zealand researchers, Domino named Hooper and Herath did a research on 2014 that you can read determining the impact of online reading on a student’s comprehension such as eye strain and distraction. In print, 82% of participants read the text thoroughly while digital readers use scanning as a reading method.
- Difference of print and digital reading
A research that can be read on Media Room, states that kids prefer eBooks when they’re reading something that they don’t want others to know and print when they want to read something to share with their friends or for bedtime stories. A study of Naomi Baron showed that 92% of her participants find it easier to concentrate when using print. Her participants are 400 people from five different countries and 86% preferred reading longer texts in print. When reading printed materials, only 26% are most likely to multitask and 86% when using online. You can read more of Naomi Baron on her article here Kapan Online.
Although none of these researches claim that digital reading has negative effects on our brain, it clearly shows that reading in paper is better than doing it online. Reading in print helps better in concentrating and finding out what information you need while digital reading on the other hand, can strain your eyes and possibly give you distractions; especially if you’re reading a long text. Print vs digital reading will probably still be debated on for a long time, and the results would still be different on every individual especially to those who prefer doing everything online. What matters most is what you think is convenient for you and which medium helps you the most, after all, learning and your convenience is what’s important. The answer to which is better than print and digital reading will still depend on you.
