Tablets for all? Testing the screen inferiority effect with upper primary school students

Abstract Educational institutions across the world are increasingly integrating tablets in the classroom, under the assumption that tablets improve students' learning. However, little research has specifically focused on the effects of tablets on reading comprehension of primary school children. Based on previous research with undergraduate students, we tested the hypothesis that primary school students will get more distracted, and subsequently comprehend less, when reading expository texts on tablets, as opposed to paper, particularly when they read under time pressure. In addition, from the lens of the comprehension levels hypothesis, we also analyzed the extent to which higher text comp…