Will Textbooks, As We Know Them, Become Extinct? Part 2: The Student Perspective

Soon it will be the beginning of another semester at college.  As with every semester since the beginning of time (or for as long as I can remember, which is close), students have rushed around in stress-filled clouds, making sure they have all that they need to begin the new term.  Of the many tasks on their to-do lists, perhaps the most dreaded is paying a visit to the university bookstore.

The lines, the crowds, and – worst of all – the cost.  Each class requires at least two textbooks and many require additional workbooks.  Upon hunting for these revered educational tools, that all too familiar epiphany enters the students’ minds like flashes of lightning – used textbooks are cheaper!  Touchdown – they have found a loophole to beat the system.  However, it is an early celebration, because Murphy’s Law finds its way into the situation.  All the used books are gone – the mighty Casey has struck out.  The final element of the usual bookstore visit is the mantra heard by every morose student, “There must be some other way.”  Perhaps, there is!

As I previously commented on the potential of electronic readers in the classroom, they provide greater learning opportunities for students with varied needs and impairments than traditional textbooks.  Some of the features that enhance learning include spoken text, backlighting, increased text size, and space to take notes.  What a great technological breakthrough, right?

Well, maybe not so much.  There are at least two obstacles that create roadblocks in the adoption of eReaders.  First, introducing digital textbooks into schools to either supplement or replace printed copies is quite a large change for which not every educator may be ready.  Traditionally, students embrace innovation quicker than their parents’ generation – the age group of most educators (Zehr, 2009).

The second obstacle that prevents eReaders as replacements for textbooks is the students themselves.  A blog post by

Atlantic Wire states that college students are not purchasing eReaders with the same fervor manufacturers of the products expected (Horn, 2009).  Why not?  First, many student feel that traditional paper books provide for easier reading.  Second, they prefer to scrawl notes in the margins rather than the idea of electronic notes.  Finally, college students are disappointed that eReaders, in the end, don’t actually differ much with respect to cost over their old school counterparts.

In August 2008, the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) reported that 75% of students preferred printed books over digital.  This statistic changed in the course of a year, with 70% of students feeling comfortable using eReaders – but only if cost isn’t a factor.  However, as seen above, it does.  Although PIRG does share that 38% of students would entertain sidestepping the cost of eReaders if they could access digital texts on their iPhones or other smart phones.  However, apps for e-texts just are not as available as necessary to do so on a widespread basis (Weinman, 2009).

In closing, while much of the information included here reports on facts and opinions from the post-secondary realm, Weinman suggests economic parallels between college adoption (or lack thereof) of eReaders as textbooks and student interest in the devices at the secondary level.  While the cost element would be taken on by the school districts rather than the students themselves, the other nuances of using eReaders reflect that students just may not yet be motivated to use this form of innovation in place of the old school printed learning aids.  Does this mean that textbooks will never be accepted as a replacement – or at the very least – a supplement to bound books in the classroom and the school libraries?  I don’t believe so, but eReaders should be gradually introduced into the learning environment so that students become comfortable with the devices.  As this gradual acclimation occurs, the multi-facted advantages I mentioned above can certainly improve achievement and confidence.  We as educators should motivate and not overwhelm.

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