Reading in print and digitally: Profiling and intervening in undergraduates' multimodal text processing, comprehension, and calibration

Abstract

This study reports on two experiments exploring differences in comprehension when students read multimodal documents (i.e., text and visual) in print and digital mediums. In Study I, 70 undergraduates read excerpts from an introductory geology textbook in print and on a computer screen. Data from comprehension and judgment of performance measures indicated that students comprehended better and spent more time reading in print than they did on screen. Based on processing behaviors, reading times, and judgments of performance accuracy (i.e., calibration), three clusters were identified. In Study II, 65 participants from Study I took part in an intervention aimed at improving students' comprehension and calibration when reading digitally. Students then read a multimodal text on the topic of volcanoes on screen. Analyses demonstrated that participants' comprehension scores and duration of reading were significantly improved over their performance in Study 1. However, calibration accuracy scores worsened for these participants following the intervention.

Educational relevance statement

Two studies examined how well students comprehended when reading in print and digitally, and how well they judged their performance in each medium. Based on reading time, reading behaviors, and comprehension scores, students read longer and understood more when they read in print. However, their performance judgments were poor under both mediums. After participating in an intervention aimed at improving comprehension and accuracy judgments for the digital medium, students' comprehension and the time they spent reading improved, but not their performance judgments.