How Reading Medium Affects Your Child's Learning of Visual Information
What Science Reveals About Reading Comprehension in the Digital Age
As parents, we are continuously faced with choices regarding our children's screen time and educational resources. Today, I want to explore another vital aspect of modern learning: how the reading medium—print versus digital—impacts the way children process and comprehend visual information in educational materials. An intriguing research study published in Contemporary Educational Psychology provides essential insights that could shape our approach to our children's reading and study materials.
The Eye-Opening Research: How Reading Medium Changes Information Processing
Researchers from the University of Oslo and the University of Valencia conducted an eye-tracking study with 100 university students to explore a question many parents ponder: Does reading on paper compared to a screen affect how we comprehend and integrate information?
The findings are striking and particularly relevant for parents guiding their children's educational journeys.
What the Research Discovered
The study found that participants who read illustrated text on paper exhibited significantly more integrative processing than those who read the exact same material on a computer screen. What does "integrative processing" mean? It refers to how readers connect related information across text and visuals—essentially, how effectively they combine written and visual information to form a complete understanding.
Utilizing advanced eye-tracking technology, researchers measured how frequently readers' eyes moved between related text and images. These eye movements provide insight into the mental integration process that is crucial for a deep understanding of multimedia learning materials.
The key findings:
- Print readers formed more connections: People reading on paper made nearly 7 more text-image transitions than those reading digitally.
- More connections resulted in better understanding: Each additional text-image integration correlated with improved comprehension performance.
- The effect was consistent: The difference persisted regardless of whether readers were specifically instructed to focus on the relationships between text and images.
What This Means for Your Child's Learning
These findings have significant implications for how we approach educational materials for our children:
1. Print May Promote Deeper Processing for Visual Learning
When children learn complex concepts involving both text and images—such as science textbooks with diagrams, history books with maps, or math materials with visual models—paper materials may promote a more thorough integration of these different sources of information. Research indicates that the print medium itself naturally encourages readers to make more connections between text and visuals, without needing additional instructions or prompts to do so.
2. Digital Reading May Lead to More "Shallow" Processing
The researchers explain their findings through what they refer to as the "shallowing hypothesis." This indicates that our habitual use of digital media, which typically entails quick interactions driven by immediate rewards, may cultivate a tendency to process digital information more superficially. This doesn't imply that digital reading is detrimental, but it indicates that when a deep understanding of multimedia content is the objective, print materials could provide an advantage—or digital reading might need additional support systems.
3. Integration of Information is Key to Understanding Complex Concepts
Regardless of the medium, the study emphasizes the importance of combining various types of information. The more students associate text with related visual content, the better they grasp the material as a whole.
This process of making connections isn't automatic—it requires active engagement. Surprisingly, the medium itself appears to affect how naturally this occurs.
Practical Takeaways for Parents
Based on this research, here are some practical approaches to consider for your child's learning materials:
For Important Visual Learning Tasks:
- Consider providing print materials for complex subjects that rely heavily on diagrams, charts, and images (like science and geography)
- When using digital learning materials, encourage your child to consciously move between text and related visuals
- For digital reading, introduce practices that promote active integration, such as asking your child to explain how a diagram relates to the text they just read
Finding the Right Balance:
- Employ printed materials thoughtfully for the foundational understanding of intricate visual concepts.
- Acknowledge that various learning tasks may be enhanced by different mediums.
- Keep in mind that individual learning preferences are important as well—some children might naturally absorb information more effectively than others, regardless of the format.
Developing Good Habits for Digital Reading:
- Teach older children to recognize their reading habits on screens
- Encourage intentional pauses and reflections when reading digitally
- Consider using digital tools that specifically prompt connections between text and visuals.
Moving Beyond the Print vs. Digital Debate
Instead of viewing this as an either/or situation, these findings can guide us in making more fine decisions about when each medium might best serve our children. The researchers emphasize that while there are differences in processing, both mediums can support learning when used mindfully. What matters most is recognizing that the medium itself can influence how information is processed and making informed choices based on this understanding.
The Bigger Picture
This research sheds light on one aspect of how reading mediums influence learning. For parents navigating the increasingly digital educational landscape, it provides evidence-based insights that can guide our approach to our children's learning materials.
As we choose between print and digital resources, we should consider not only convenience and engagement but also how different mediums might impact the deeper cognitive processes that facilitate lasting understanding.
What has your experience been with your child's learning from print compared to digital materials?
Have you observed differences in how they engage with and comprehend content across various mediums?
Based on: Latini, N., Bråten, I., & Salmerón, L. (2020). Does reading medium affect processing and integration of textual and pictorial information? A multimedia eye-tracking study. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62, 101870.