Special Report: Student Comprehension of Books in Kindle and Traditional Formats

NA (site), NA (city),

Abstract:

In this study, 31 students from two fourth-grade classrooms in an Upper-Midwestern school were asked to read up to six books, alternating between the AmazonKindle e-reader and traditional print formats to avoid any treatment effect. The books were selected from a list of more than a dozen popular fiction titles selected to match the students' reading proficiency as measured by the Star Reading assessment. Students read a total of 135 books, 69 on the Kindle and 66 in print. After reading each book, they completed an Accelerated Reader quiz to measure their comprehension. Results showed no statistically significant difference between the students' understanding of the Kindle and print versions of the books. The percent correct for books read on the Kindle averaged 88%, while the average for books read in print was 88.5%. Students' percent correct on the study books was almost identical to their comprehension of print books read outside the study, suggesting that within-study performance was typical for the participants.

AUTHOR: Michael Milone, Ph.D.

The full report is available online.

Publication Date:
12/14/2011