Investigating effective screen reading and learning: an electroencephalographic approach

Yoshihiro Hirata and Yoko Hirata
Hokkai-Gakuen University
Sapporo, Japan

With the advent of online technologies, a wide variety of electronic texts are now easily accessible at any time and place, and at all levels of education. More specifically, for students at tertiary institutions, access to email messages, Internet pages and online course materials, as well as massive databases of news and other published materials, is playing an indispensable role in helping them complete their educational programmes successfully. However, in providing students with extensive screen reading in computer-based education, instructors face the challenge of how to design different modes of digital texts, and to present them on-screen in user-friendly ways to optimize the use of online resources. The instructor should also determine what kinds of factors make a substantial contribution to the readability and learnability of digital texts (Schcolnik and Kol 2006). However, so far, no incontrovertible evidence has been found regarding factors which significantly affect students' academic performance when they read electronic and printed texts. Another major issue to be considered is how to develop effective approaches and strategies for students who find reading on screen more difficult than reading printed documents.

The purpose of this study is to examine, by means of electroencephalography (EEG), how Japanese students process both digital and printed texts and to determine the factors which affect their cognitive aspects of processing and maximizing their comprehension. The paper first outlines the EEG method implemented in the present study to monitor and assess the students' brain processing while scanning and skimming different modes of text. The benefits of this time series analysis technique is explained by comparing it with the conventional methods, in which the outcomes of the analysis are students' comments and their comprehension test scores. The paper then illustrates different physical structures of online content that influence the overall text presentation, with a major focus on factors related to the computer monitor, the text layout and the navigation methods. Based on the results of EEG measurements, as well as students' retrospective questionnaires, the distinctive features of text presentation which assist effective screen reading are examined. The results of this study indicate that the students perceive learning from computer screens and reading printed documents in different ways; and the findings also provide valuable insights into the factors which contribute to the improvement of overall online reading experience and how text-based information should be presented online. Recommendations on effective screen reading and learning are offered for the future development of effective web-based instruction.