Digital devices emerged as an alternative to reading on paper. It is not unusual to see people reading on the street with a mobile phone, tablet or electronic reader. However, despite the facilities offered by this type of devices, such as the integration of several functions, the printed format remains the favorite of most readers.
Why is this preference for reading on paper? One of the causes is in the ease to understand the texts. Reading a text on paper seems to facilitate understanding compared to reading in a digital medium. In other words, digital media represent a disadvantage when it comes to understanding the texts. But where does that disadvantage come from?
The death of the paper?
Many people predicted the death of paper books. However, the passage of time has denied this claim. Although its use has decreased, the still printed books are favorites. The printed word is preferred to read in depth, even by people who spend most of their time reading the digital medium.
This is due to the fact that we understand better what we read when we read on paper, especially when we have little time to read. In addition to what we would intuit, it seems that the new generations understand more precisely when we compare reading on paper to read in a digital medium.
It has been proven that when people who read on paper are evaluated in relation to those who read in a digital medium, the former obtain better results. It was also found that those who read in a digital medium overestimate their level. That is to say, they imagine that their level of learning will be greater than it really is.
Deficit in metacognitive processes
The explanation of the advantages of reading on paper compared to reading in a digital medium, due to a deficit in metacognitive processes. Specifically, in a deficit in metacognitive processes that are responsible for monitoring the quantity and quality of learning achieved. That is, what we think about the cognitive resources that will be necessary to learn.
Therefore, when we read in a digital medium, we make more distant estimates of reality when determining the cognitive resources we need.
The same results discussed in the previous section were found when reading time is limited. So when there was a time limit, both learning estimates were higher when reading on paper than when reading in a digital medium. This allowed to conclude that, in fact, the cause is a metacognitive deficit.
The advantages of reading on paper
In short, it is easier to learn reading text on paper than reading a text on a screen. The cause is the difficulty in metacognitive control, which causes a greater overestimation of learning and leads the student to an insufficient allocation of cognitive effort. In sum, reading in digital media leads us to think that it is easier than it seems, and we attribute fewer cognitive resources than we really need.
On the contrary, the digital medium provides a more superficial processing of information. This negatively affects reading and learning. Perhaps the use of digital media for quick and hasty interactions leads us to repeat it when we read.
The thing does not stop there, and taking notes written by hand is more efficient than writing on the computer. Handwritten notes tend to be more elaborate, and those that do get better results in the tests.
Benefits of reading on paper
These results have important consequences in education. The introduction of digital classroom technology can reduce or hinder learning. Maybe before opting directly for the technology due to its benefits, we should consider the negative effects to better evaluate the changes.
