The Impact of Print vs. Digital Resources on Moroccan University Students’ Reading Habits, Uses, and Preferences

Abstract

The widespread use of digital resources, the Internet and the development of technology have brought several significant changes in reading practices, preferences and use among information consumers. Readers of the 21st century have many options for reading thanks to the rapid growth of electronic-based reading materials, instead of printed ones, such as online newspapers, electronic books, digital encyclopedias, and online academic journals, as well as the expansion of e-book readers. All of these have contributed to changing readers’ reading strategies, reading preferences, and attitudes toward the act of reading. In the field of academia, for instance, there has been a tremendous shift from paper-based reading to screen-based reading. Given the fact that digital devices have become pervasive, and that reading has recently become a digital activity, this article proposes the need to investigate the impact of print vs. digital reading materials on Moroccan undergraduate students’ reading behaviors, preferences and use.