Reading Comprehension of Elementary, Junior High and High School Students on Print vs. Microcomputer-Generated Text

Abstract

This study compared reading comprehension on the microcomputer with traditional print presentation for two types of text, informational and directional. Subjects were elementary, junior high, and high school students. With one exception, no differences in performance were found by medium or text type. Reader characteristics other than gender had no relationship to ease of reading in the two media. A student checklist of factors contributing to ease or difficulty of reading in both media revealed differential perceptions between good and weak readers at the various grade levels. Implications for the classroom are discussed.