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RESEARCH PRODUCT

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

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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 comprehension skills could minimize the distractions and comprehension difficulties elicited by tablets during reading comprehension tasks. Results from a study with 182 upper primary school students (range 10–13 years old) indicated that those with low reading comprehension skills comprehended better when reading under time pressure in print than on tablet, but students with high skills were not affected by the reading medium. In addition, we found no evidence that tablets affected on-task attention. We discuss the implications of those results in light of the increasing classroom digitalization programs.