THE PARADOX OF LEARNING: APPLYING THE SCIENCE OF READING PAPER-BASED TEXTBOOKS IN TODAY’S DIGITAL WORLD

The widespread adoption of digital media as a replacement of printed media has led to a trend in the education industry where digital textbooks have become increasingly popular. However, despite the rising fame of digital media, there are still concerns regarding the efficiency of using digital textbooks as a source of learning. This paper investigates the concept of reading digital textbooks and analyzes whether doing so is indeed preferable than reading paper-based textbooks. In-depth secondary research was conducted and findings from various studies were assimilated, which are individually explained from psychological and neurological perspectives. As a result, reading from traditional paper/print textbooks was revealed to be more efficient than digital textbooks in terms of reading comprehension and recall of information. Hence, the views of both textbook versions were evaluated, ultimately arriving at the conclusion of emphasizing the importance of choice and the ability to adapt quickly in new environments, in this case, the digital world.