International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 9, No. 2 (2013)

Screen reading habits among university students

Tim Vandenhoek, University of Limerick, Ireland

Abstract
Among the numerous areas of education which have been impacted by technology, the growth of reading texts from computer screens is one of the most widespread. This trend is perhaps most evident at universities with academic journal articles increasing being stored and accessed in this format. As with any technological changes, the spread of screen reading presents educators and students with a range of challenges and opportunities. This paper seeks to examine the general preferences and habits of university students when reading academic articles, specifically their use of annotations and other means of interacting with a text. An on-line survey was conducted and the views of 630 students analyzed. The data reveals several tensions in the preferences and habits of these students and suggests that a knowledge gap may exist which could hamper their ability to interact with digital texts. The article ends with a syllabus outline for an academic reading course for non-native speakers (NNS) and suggestions for further research in the area.

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