ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the impact of digital reading during educational disruption on science and engineering students' learning experience. Before the pandemic, some studies explored whether university students preferred using printed or digital resources for their academic readings. Amidst the pandemic, online learning became essential. Several studies showed students' preference for printed text. This paper extends a pilot study that was conducted during the first COVID-19 wave in China. A survey consisting of Likert questions and open questions was designed using MS-Forms. The survey was shared with the science and engineering students in Years 2–4 (Levels 1–3) of their study at SWJTU-Leeds Joint School, Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China. This covered students from four undergraduate programs: Civil Engineering with Transport, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science. In total, 223 students participated in this study. The survey was anonymous and was made available to students for a month. The participation rate is nearly 27%. Findings indicate that the behavior of science and engineering students toward digital reading was different than other majors, and it is generally favorable. The necessity for online learning during educational disruption has encouraged some students to develop their digital reading skills. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Digital reading by college students has become a basic trend with the development of digitalization and network technology, and its role has become more and more prominent under the influence of COVID-19. From the perspective of Marxism epistemology, this paper conducts a large-scale sample survey and SPSS statistical research. By means of independent sample t-test, variance analysis, multi-corresponding variable analysis and cross-tabulation and other statistical commands, this paper analyzes the pattern, preference and attitude of digital reading among college students. It proposes corresponding countermeasures from three levels of digital content, university library and college students as the subject. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
This study compared the effects of extracurricular synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ASCMC) between students and teachers on students' digital reading performance at different frequencies. 392,269 samples from 53 countries/regions that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 were collected. Multilevel regression analysis showed that SCMC negatively influenced digital reading performance across countries/regions. As the frequency decreased, the negative effect of SCMC diminished. In contrast, ASCMC at a moderately low frequency could facilitate digital reading performance in some countries/regions; however, as frequency increased, the positive effect became negative. These results showed that synchronicity played a role in predicting students' digital reading performance. This study also explored the mediating effect of metacognition with Nelson and Naren's metacognitive control-monitoring model. A multilevel mediation analysis proved that the effects of SCMC and ASCMC on digital reading performance were mediated by students' metacognition of assessing credibility. Practical implications and suggestions for students' self-paced learning were discussed with the purpose of promoting the effective use of extracurricular CMC between students and teachers and improving students' digital reading achievement in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
ABSTRACT
New technologies and digital services influence the current forms of reading, and public libraries respond to these possibilities by offering new services based mainly on ebooks. The constraints resulting from the recent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic have reinforced this trend. This work introduces the development process of new library services based on open web books experimentally developed at Masaryk University and the Municipal Library of Prague. Our initial research focused on people's behavior when reading a book in a browser, on elements of user interface interactions, and the overall context of reading on different types of devices, especially mobile. Through a Research through Design approach, qualitative inquiry, and prototyping, we have identified patterns in reading behavior and library users' needs, to which we have responded by designing a new service. We converted the new service concept into interactive prototypes in the Figma tool, which we further tested and iterated. The research supports reading in the digital world and brings new information about reading behavior in the age of instant digital services.
ABSTRACT
Purpose>This study aims to examine the perception and preference of parents for their children using mobile devices to read. The pros and cons of electronic books and print books are examined from the parents' perspective.Design/methodology/approach>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents in Hong Kong, who have children in primary and secondary schools. Their opinions were summarized into common themes to explore their choice of books for children in terms of format and content.Findings>The findings indicated that most parents and schools still prefer print books unless required by schools. However, the e-book has played an essential role under the current COVID-19 pandemic and digital literacy development.Originality/value>Scant studies focus on parents' views on their choice of book formats for children, especially for East Asian metropolises. The findings are useful for schools, teachers and publishers to explore publication and collection, as well as market development in digital reading resources.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic called COVID 19 has altered the ways in which people think, act, and believe and what not. Though morbidity and mortality are the biggest causes for concern, one cannot ignore the effect such a pandemic has over the other aspects of life. One such aspect is reading. While digital reading keeps on gaining further significance due to the pandemic, it becomes necessary to investigate the various facets of the same. Hence the study was conducted with the aim of examining the user preference towards select attributes of reading in the digital format. The present study is a descriptive research using primary data collected through questionnaire. The sample size was 100. It was found through Garrett ranking analysis that the most and least preferred format was 'pdf' and 'azw' respectively. The same for genre was fiction and poetry, whereas for device it was laptop and tablet. Chi-square tests were conducted for testing hypothesis. It was found through analysis that age and occupation had significant association with format and genre respectively. This finding presents a new perspective on digital reading user preferences over the previous studies for the fact that individual groups were focussed here. The magnitude of differences identified through data analysis shows that it is utterly necessary to regard each characteristic with special focus to maximise on the efficiency front from the view point of service provider as well as user. The limitation of the present study is the non-representative nature of the sample. © 2022 Universidad Tecnica de Manabi. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This paper describes the development of an educational artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot prototype to support teachers in developing digital reading lists for their students. The chatbot aims to teach users how to use an educational system-Talis Aspire-effectively by giving them quick answers to questions, offering demonstrations and instructions on how to complete essential tasks on Talis Aspire, advising them how to solve problems and providing solutions for common issues. We have presented the prototype, together with the approach we used to design and develop it by considering the concepts of Recontextualisation' and Quality Function Deployment'. We argue that the use of chatbot technology can not only help tutors develop online education and teaching materials but may also improve the quality of educational services during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of recommendations and further work suggested by domain experts have also been highlighted in this paper in order to improve our prototype further. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
PurposeThis conceptual paper relates disparate evidence on the factors influencing reading format choice and preference, whether print or digital, in order to inform educational practice and scholarship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a reading event analysis model (REAM) to help guide practitioners and scholars through a consideration of relevant factors, as evidenced by empirical research, to predicting whether print or digital formats will best support the reading and/or learning objectives of a reader in a given reading event in the current technological era.FindingsThe evidence synthesized and communicated by the REAM model reflects complex interactions between reader characteristics, task characteristics and text characteristics that influence the effects and outcomes of reading in print or digital format.Research limitations/implicationsThis model serves to guide scholars in the design of future empirical studies that account for critical performance variables related to reading comprehension and user preference.Practical implicationsIn examining the effects of reading format on learning and the relationship of learning to overall reader format preferences, this model will help educators, educational administrators, industry practitioners, technologists and interface developers transfer current findings to practice, make decisions and determine developmental priorities to meet the needs of readers and learners across a variety of contexts and support the pursuit of equity in education.Originality/valueThis model is necessary and contributes important original synthesis and to an area of scholarship that in recent years has yielded results that at times appear contradictory. The model provides possible resolutions to these apparent contradictions in a construct that lends translational value for practice.