Digital text has become the dominant medium for participation in higher education. Yet little is known about the consequences from the shift to digital text usage on the academic reading practices of ...specific groups of students. Using a unique data set of higher education students, we analyse differences in digital reading skills, practices, perception, and experience for female students and male students. Then we explain these differences by social inequality related to gendered reading practices and artifacts and reveal that the digitisation of academic reading is reproducing gender inequality in higher education.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing digital texts as learning material had become a common practice in academia. But little is known about who profits from and who loses out when moving from ...print to digital reading in higher education. In this study, we connect digital reading to digital divides, and draw on a unique data set of university students digital reading practices obtained by a quantitative survey during the lockdown semester in three European countries. Based on the statistical results for digital reading access, attitudes, motivation, skills, behavior, and support, we argue that varying digital reading experiences of students are linked to inequalities in higher education opportunities. In conclusion, our results contrast current digital policies of merely improving access to digital texts in academia to democratize higher education.
While some argue digital reading media may impair text comprehension, the empirical literature is ambiguous, in particular when it comes to the reading of narrative texts. Therefore, a comprehensive ...and systematic meta-analysis of studies exploring the effect of screen reading media on reading comprehension of narrative texts was conducted (k = 32, N = 2239). Multimedia and interactive functions in general, the type of multimedia and interactive functions, the change in effect over time, and the type of digital reading device (computer, e-reader, and tablet) were explored as moderating variables. In general, the analyses did not reveal a significant impact of the reading medium (screen vs. paper) on the reading comprehension of a narrative text. Moreover, there does not seem to be a difference over time and between different types of digital reading devices. Also, the analysis of the subsample of studies using plain digital text without any additional functions in comparison to print showed no significant differences. In contrast, multimedia and interactive functions of digital texts affect reading comprehension positively, regardless of the type of additional function. In conclusion, the results do not suggest a negative effect of digital reading media on reading comprehension when reading narrative texts.
While the act of listening to narratives has deep historical roots, it has gained renewed prominence in the contemporary literary landscape through the rise of audiobooks. Despite their resurgence, ...research on literary audiobooks, particularly within the realm of literary studies, remains notably limited. The audiobook has struggled to gain acceptance among the humanities as a legitimate aesthetic form, which can be attributed to the fact that it is often compared to the printed book as the leading medium for experiencing literature. By transforming a written text through the performativity of the voice into a spoken, analog, or digitally recorded, repeatable audio text, it becomes a completely different object of research that must be analyzed with different premises and approaches than the underlying written literary work. Nevertheless, literary analysis has predominantly focused on the visual and cognitive aspects of reading, thereby overlooking the auditory dimension.
Especially in literary theory, there is a lack of both differentiated, proven descriptive criteria that take into account the specific auditory signification processes, including all the relevant paralinguistic features, and a theoretical foundation. This article aims to address this gap by developing a comprehensive framework for investigating the auditory reception of literature that seeks to elucidate the transition from reading to listening and its profound implications for the literary experience. By delving into the intricacies of auditory reception, literary theory can gain deeper insight into the cognitive and emotional facets of literary experiences, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals engage with literary works. Reviewing the still fragmented and nascent state of audiobook research, which barely focuses on the aspect of reception, the proposed framework explores five key dimensions: text, medium, listeners, situations and practices, and the resulting effects of auditory engagement with literature.
Through a meticulous examination of these multifaceted factors, this article endeavors to provide a holistic understanding of the auditory reception of literary texts. Moreover, this avenue of research underscores the dynamic nature of literature, providing a richer perspective on the interplay between text, medium, recipients, situational context, and practices, thereby enriching the tapestry of literary theory. For example, a reexamination and customization of narratological categories is crucial, particularly concerning the incorporation of the physical voice, which is now actually present and independent of Genette’s category ›voice‹. Similarly, the transition into the auditory medium necessitates a reevaluation of situational context and its associated practices. This reassessment is driven by the temporal co-occurrence of cognitive processes and physical activities, facilitated by the liberation of hands and eyes from their prior engagement with printed books.
This contribution does not solely aim to establish a theoretical foundation for the research field and identify essential factors related to literary listening; instead, the framework is substantiated with empirical evidence drawn from diverse academic disciplines. This synthesis of empirical data and theory sheds light on audiobooks, offering an approach that transcends conventional research paradigms. Moreover, it underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in the investigation of audiobooks. Ultimately, the integrative framework presented here serves as a foundation for further research, offering a nuanced and comprehensive approach and terminology for exploring the evolving landscape of listening to literature.
Bücher am Bildschirm Kosch, Lukas; Stocker, Günther; Schwabe, Annika ...
LiLi, Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik,
09/2023, Volume:
53, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
Zusammenfassung
Mit E‑Readern, Smartphones, Notebooks und Tablets sind neue Lesemedien entstanden, deren Haptik, Räumlichkeit, Visualität und Materialität sich grundlegend von denen des ...traditionellen Buches unterscheiden und die von einer Reihe unterschiedlicher Textdarstellungen und damit verbundenen Nutzungshandlungen gekennzeichnet sind. Die Frage nach den konkreten Praktiken des literarischen Lesens am Bildschirm und den damit verbundenen literarischen Erfahrungen wird in diesem Beitrag auf der Basis eines Laborexperiments (
N
=207), einer Fokusgruppenstudie (
N
=34) und einer quotenbasierten Online-Umfrage (
N
=779) beantwortet. Die synoptische Auswertung dieser drei veröffentlichten Studien zeigt, dass gerade eine praxeologische Perspektive wichtige Erkenntnisse für das Verständnis der Unterschiede zwischen dem Lesen gedruckter Bücher und E‑Books erbringen kann. Sowohl was die Menge des Gelesenen betrifft als auch die Lektüreauswahl, die Leseorte und Lesesituationen sowie die Erwerbs- und Aufbewahrungsformen, münden die unterschiedlichen Materialitätsprofile von gedruckten und digitalisierten Büchern in unterschiedlichen Praxeographien. Beide Lesemedien erfüllen unterschiedliche Funktionen, gehen mit verschiedenen Lesepraktiken einher und ergänzen sich vielmehr als sich zu ersetzen.
Background
The digitalisation of literature is proliferating, and the increasing spread of digital reading devices and the availability of digital texts is likely to make books on screen a lasting ...phenomenon, but little attention has been paid to the consequences of digitalisation for the experience of narrative fiction. While on the one hand, reading literature on a digital reading device might trigger a superficial processing of the text, and problems regarding orientation within the narrative, the awareness of reading a literary text might, on the other hand, lead to more in‐depth and complex processing, independent of reading medium. This study examines whether the reading performance and the emotional and cognitive experiences of the reception of a literary text vary between reading a printed book or an e‐reader.
Methods
Using a between‐subjects experimental design, 207 participants read the beginning of a novel either in a printed book or on an e‐reader. They then completed a reading comprehension test and questionnaires about their cognitive and emotional experiences.
Results
Overall, the results do not suggest the clear superiority of either of the two reading media. Neither reading speed nor reading comprehension differed significantly between the two groups. Even though a broad range of reading experiences was measured, neither cognitive nor emotional reading experiences differed significantly between the groups.
Conclusion
An e‐reader does not affect either reading performance or cognitive and emotional experience of reading a narrative text, compared with a printed book.
Highlights
What is already known about this topic
Different reading media have different affordances.
In general, reading comprehension of narrative texts does not differ between digital and paper reading.
There is almost no empirical research into the effect of digital reading devices on reading dimensions other than comprehension.
What this paper adds
Extensive research into the emotional and cognitive reading dimensions of different reading media when reading a complex literary text.
There are no differences between an e‐reader and a printed book in subjective emotional and cognitive reading experiences during reading.
The objective reading performance (reading comprehension and reading speed) depends very little on the reading medium.
Implications for theory, policy or practice
E‐readers do not differ in most reading dimensions from the printed book when reading a narrative text.
Neither the printed book nor the e‐reader is superior to the other one when reading a narrative text.
E‐readers are better than their reputation.
With the rising popularity of digital reading media, leisure reading is undergoing a transformation process. However, the reasons for readers to adopt e-book reading or to stick to traditional ...printed books are mainly unknown. Therefore, we explored demographic and motivational differences between print readers, digital readers, and readers using both reading media. We further studied their book-reading practices, like the amount of reading, the preferred genres, the different reading situations, and if there are dedicated reading media for specific genres or situations. Additionally, we explored if digital reading media have changed the reading process or just appeal to a certain type of reader. Therefore, we conducted a survey (n = 779) of adult book readers about their leisure reading behavior. The results show that print readers, digital readers, and readers using both media differ in age, gender, amount of reading, genre preference, and the situations in which they read. Furthermore, digital reading media especially foster reading on the move.
Literatur am Bildschirm Schwabe, Annika; Brandl, Lukas; Boomgaarden, Hajo G. ...
Orbis litterarum,
October 2020, Volume:
75, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Die Digitalisierung des Lesens nimmt mit der Verbreitung digitaler Lesegeräte und der Verfügbarkeit digitaler Texte zu, so dass das Lesen von Büchern auf dem Bildschirm zu einem dauerhaften Phänomen ...werden könnte. Nach zentralen Thesen kulturwissenschaftlicher ebenso wie kommunikationswissenschaftlicher Theoriebildung gehen unterschiedliche Lesemedien mit einem unterschiedlichen Leseverhalten und unterschiedlichen Leseerfahrungen einher. Ausgehend von der Frage, inwiefern sich die Leseerfahrung bei literarischen Texten durch das jeweilige Lesemedium verändert, bietet dieser Forschungsbericht einen systematischen und detaillierten Überblick über die Ergebnisse von 42 bisher dazu durchgeführten empirischen Studien und versucht damit die interdisziplinäre Kommunikation zwischen empirischer Leseforschung und Literaturwissenschaft zu intensivieren. Auf der Basis der bislang durchgeführten Studien kann die These, ein digitales Lesemedium würde sich negativ auf das Verstehen von narrativen Texten auswirken, nicht bestätigt werden. Im Gegenteil scheint es hinsichtlich des Textverständnisses, der zentralen Dimension in den meisten Studien, keinen Unterschied zu machen, ob am Bildschirm oder gedruckt gelesen wird. Diese empirischen Befunde werden abschließend einer kritischen Einschätzung und Diskussion unterzogen. Dabei werden mehrere Forschungslücken bzw. Desiderata einer künftigen Leseforschung genannt, insbesondere die Herausforderung, den Leseprozess im Allgemeinen und den Einfluss digitaler Lesemedien auf die Leseerfahrung im Besonderen adäquat zu operationalisieren und zu messen. Denn im Vergleich zu informativen Texten erfordert vor allem das Lesen von Literatur Analyseinstrumente, die der Komplexität der Texte und dem multidimensionalen Leseprozess gerecht werden.
Digitales Lesen in der Hochschule Eiben-Zach, Britta; Schwabe, Annika; Brendel-Kepser, Ina ...
MedienPädagogik,
11/2021, Volume:
40
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Digitale Lesefähigkeiten sind für Lehramtsstudierende in zweifacher Form bedeutsam: Sie werden im Rahmen der eigenen Ausbildung benötigt und stellen eine an Schülerinnen und Schüler zu vermittelnde ...Fähigkeit dar. Dass Lehramtsstudierende mit digitalen wissenschaftlichen Texten kompetent umgehen, gewann im Rahmen der digital organisierten ‹Corona-Semester› besondere Bedeutung. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht der vorliegende Beitrag, wie Lehramtsstudierende den Umgang mit digitaler Lektüre in Lehrveranstaltungen wahrnahmen, wie sie ihre eigene Arbeit mit diesen Texten – auch in emotionaler und motivationaler Hinsicht sowie mit Blick auf den Austausch über das Gelesene – einschätzten und welche Hilfestellung sie von Seiten der Universitäten und Hochschulen erhielten. Mithilfe einer online durchgeführten Umfrage wurden die Einschätzungen Lehramtsstudierender mit denen von Studierenden aus anderen Studiengängen (N = 4701) verglichen. Die Untersuchung hat gezeigt: Lehramtsstudierende berichteten nicht nur von grösseren Schwierigkeiten im effizienten Umgang mit Texten am Bildschirm, sondern schätzten auch ihre Konzentration und Stimmung beim Lesen negativer ein als Studierende anderer Fächer. Insgesamt stellten sich Lehramtsstudierende weniger selbstständig und intrinsisch motiviert dar als andere Studierende. Handlungsbedarf zeichnet sich insbesondere in dem Sinne ab, dass Studierenden verstärkt für das digitale Lesen adäquate Textformate bereitzustellen sind. Auch sollten Hochschulen Studierende insgesamt stärker im Umgang mit digitalen Texten unterstützen.
Digital reading skills are essential for teacher students in two ways: They are needed in the context of the students’ own education, and they represent a skill to be taught to pupils. The need for teacher students to be competent in dealing with digital scientific texts becomes particularly important in the context of the digitally organized ‹corona semesters›. In view of the above, this article examines how teacher students perceived the handling of digital texts in their courses, how they assessed their own work with these texts – also in emotional and motivational terms as well as with regard to the communication about what they read – and what support they received from their universities and colleges. With an online survey, the assessments of teacher students were compared with those of students from other fields of study (N = 4701). The study showed that teacher students seem to have greater difficulties in dealing efficiently with texts on the screen and rate their concentration and mood while reading more negatively than other students. Overall, teacher students were less self-reliant and intrinsically motivated than others. There is a need for action, particularly in the sense that students should be supplied with more adequate text formats for digital reading. Further, universities should provide students with more support in using digital texts.
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