Reading printed books improves your ability to understand text, unlike reading from electronic devices. This has been shown by a study published in the journal. Review of Educational Research (RER).
Scientists analyzed data from 25 scientific articles published between 2000 and 2022, involving approximately 470 thousand participants from 30 countries. Experiments confirmed that reading in print for both entertainment and learning purposes improved children’s ability to understand text. However, reading using electronic devices did not have the same effect. In addition, primary and secondary school students’ text comprehension skills did not improve while reading e-books, but also deteriorated slightly. This happened even while reading Wikipedia or other educational sites.
The results may be due to the fact that electronic devices can be used for more than just reading, which can distract the reader. Additionally, texts on the Internet often aim for short and quick stimulation, are of lower quality, and contain less complex words. The authors emphasized that educators and parents should encourage students, especially in younger grades, to read printed texts more often.
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