The impact of e-Readers

on student learning: an

exploratory investigation

Anne Campbell, George Callaghan, David McGarvie, Michelle Hynd

The Open University in Scotland

Research questions

• How do students study and learn using e-Readers?

• Is it possible to use e-Readers for deep reading and

active learning?

• Do e-Readers affect student study patterns?

• Can e-Readers be useful devices for tutors supporting

learning?

Background • Most students are now using technology for study and

preparation (Massis, 2010)

• Growing interest in mobile learning in HE

Photo: Andy Hendry

• 50% of OU postgrads use a tablet or e-

Reader & most use it for studying (Sharples

& Cross, 2012)

• Huge growth in use of e-Readers in UK

population and worldwide

• Likely that students will make increasing use

of e-Readers in the future especially as

young people prefer to read on-screen

(National Literacy Trust, 2013)

What is new about this research?

• Very little is known about how students study and learn

using e-Readers

• Cross-discipline, looking at both Social Science and

Science students

• Deep reading and active learning focus

• Distance students with range of ages

• Also looks at how part-time distance tutors use e-

Readers

Educational setting • The Open University is the biggest university in the UK, and

a world leader in flexible distance learning

• More than 250,000 part-time students: 210,000 in UK;

16,000 in Scotland, based all over – urban, rural, remote,

small towns

• Ages from school-leavers to retired (median age 32) with

busy & active lives

Photo: Andy Hendry

• Distance learning: distance teaching

• Personal tutor as part of a small group

• Institutional drive to provision of

electronic material including e-texts,

for use on mobile devices

Who are our students? • 5 Social Science students studying ‘You and Your

Money: Personal Finance in Context’

• 15 Science students studying ‘Health Sciences: A Case

Study Approach’

• 14 are female; 6 are male

• Age range 17 – 72; median 37

• 13 live in rural areas or small towns,

some remote or very remote; 7 live

in urban areas

• Competent users of technology

• Had not used e-Readers prior to

this study Photo: near Aberfeldy, Wikipedia commons

Methodology • Mixed methods

– Diary study including practical and reflective logs, from

late February to early June 2013 (in progress)

– Semi-structured interviews by telephone after diary

study end (still to come)

– Small group interview with the two Science tutors part

way through study (completed)

– Focus group meeting with all tutors at end of study

(still to come)

– Data analysis using grounded theory approach

(Glaser & Strauss, 1967)

Student Usage

• 16 students returned study diaries from late Feb – late

March

• Practical log: date used, length of usage, location of

usage, type of reading, whether & how notes/highlights

made

• Reflective log: reflection on concentrating, learning,

remembering, how affects study patterns

• 116 student, 26 tutor practical logs collected in this

period

• Students used Kindles at home (67 logs) and away from

home (53 logs)

• Most common student usage: concentrated reading over

period of about 1 hour

Type of reading & active learning markers

Type of Reading Took notes

(in any format)

Took notes

using Kindle

Highlighted

(using Kindle)

Concentrated

(77 logs)

50 (64.93%) 5 (6.49%) 12 (15.58%)

Skim

(27 logs)

6 (22.22%) 2 (7.40%) 6 (22.22%)

Both

(10 logs)

8 (80%) 1 (10%) 4 (40%)

Didn’t indicate

(2 logs)

1 (50%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

Deep reading

• Many students find it easy to use Kindle for concentrated reading

– I am finding it easier to concentrate and take in the information

using the kindle... (D4)

– I tend to lose concentration and start reading random pages of

a text book (but) with the kindle I am much more disciplined

and know to stop when my concentration is waning. (S14)

Active learning • But most students rejected Kindle when consolidating learning or

writing an assignment

– It is not hard to concentrate on the Kindle. Indeed, one gets the

impression of reading faster, - perhaps because the pages are

smaller. I think… it is harder to learn and remember than from

printed text, because each page is less distinctive, - they all

look similar. (S1)

– The kindle is easy enough to learn from. However, I prefer

using printed text for concentrated learning. (S7)

Note-taking & highlighting • I don’t like using the kindle for highlighting parts of text as I feel it

is not as effective as the traditional coloured highlighter on paper.

(S7)

• I did notice that when I read the course text book, I tend to make

notes as I go but when I use the kindle, I just read. (D2)

• Writing text notes is cumbersome and I have given up, preferring

to make notes on paper before I forget what I am putting. (S3)

Navigation issues

• I have not used the kindle this week as I have been attempting to

do my TMA (Tutor marked assignment) and find it better to sit with

the course book and handwritten notes whilst working on it. The

small screen was a disadvantage this week as I could not skim

read over the page to find the information I was looking for. (D2)

• If I need to know something now, if I’ve got a student email or a

student on the end of the phone and I want to find out, I reach for

the textbook, I don’t reach for the Kindle. Because I know I can

find it in the textbook, and then I’ll be able to flick through and find

page whatever, diagram whatever, and talk it through with the

student. (Science tutor)

Diagrams & tables • Table 2.9 was very difficult to understand on the kindle, [if] I had

not referred to the book itself it would not have made any real

sense. (D6)

• …in the pages I was studying this week there were lots of pictures

and diagrams, and I was frustrated that even with enlarging them I

still could not see them adequately… I took out the text book to

study these particular pages (S3)

Size matters!

• Small size, weight, portability is a real advantage

• Students studying in places and at times they could not

study before:

– the top of mountains

– in doctors' waiting rooms

– at sick children's bedsides

– on ferries

– on buses

– at bus stops

– in bed

Flexible, portable

• It seems very light and portable, does not need an internet

connection, and is as easily held as a book would be. (D5)

• Flexibility and portability remains key strength – taken away with

me on hols and afforded opportunity to read freely. (S16)

• So rather than having a big book, you know, I’ve got a very small

computer desk, I’ve just got a small Kindle. And I’ve got it on the

book that we’re looking at. (Science tutor, talking about using the

Kindle when running an online tutorial)

Snatching study

• It is perfect for taking in your handbag and snatching a

few minutes here and there. (S6)

• I can study more because of the kindle. You are able to

snatch extra time i.e. when commuting, out for a walk at

lunch and because it fits in your handbag, you can

always carry it about just in case. (D2)

Surreptitious study

• I would have been uncomfortable reading a text book at

the hairdressers however the kindle is inconspicuous

and nobody questions it. (S3)

• …nobody in public has any idea of the subject matter

you are reading (unlike a book which has a cover and a

title)…therefore you can concentrate safely in the

knowledge that no-one beside or close to you is aware

of the content. (Social science tutor)

Discussion -1 • Seems that Kindle can be used to read in a deep and

concentrated way

• But for consolidation of learning, need to use active

learning techniques, not well supported by Kindle

– Creation of cognitive maps, using spatial and

kinaesthetic clues

– Highlighting texts, bookmarking and making marginal

notes

Discussion -2 • Huge advantage of portability, anonymity – study

materials accessed and read more frequently than

possible with printed texts

• Advantage in having both printed and portable texts for

students, particularly for part-time distance learners, with

busy lives

• No differences so far in how Science and Social Science

students approach learning using the Kindle

• For distance tutors, portability is the main advantage, to

take travelling, or to their main place of work

Challenges

• Reliant on other units to produce files in suitable format

• Choosing a suitable e-Reader

• Time delay in project start

• Ethics approval and balance of social science/science

students

• Getting some students/staff to complete diaries –

keeping them engaged

• Having the time to keep everything going.

• Where next?

TDG and pedagogic research • Time to read & learn properly about real world research

(grounded theory, qualitative research methods)

• Time to do a proper literature review of the topic

• Opportunity to be the PI and to lead a research project –

opportunity to learn more about project management

• Conference presentations, meetings, publications

• Linkages with others – outside and inside own institution

• Opportunity to engage with students, and to have

students engaging with research – some students

extremely enthusiastic

Anne Campbell

Learning Development Team

The Open University in Scotland

10 Drumsheugh Gardens

Edinburgh

EH3 7QJ

anne.campbell@open.ac.uk

http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/LearnDevDist/