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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study
on the Preference of Students of Gulf University in
Kingdom of Bahrain
https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i18.15217
Mohanad Alfiras (*),#Janaki Bojiah
Gulf University, Sanad, Bahrain
dr.mohanad.alfiras@Gulfuniversity.edu.bh
Abstract—Technology has become an indispensable phenomenon in the
contemporary era which has its impact in every walk of life and education is not
an exception to this. The tech-savvy students of today have easily adopted the
electronic textbooks as a replacement of printed textbooks owing to its ease of
use, cost effectiveness and accessibility. Varied views on the students’ prefer-
ence of the specified format of textbooks have laid the platform for more formal
and focused research pursuits these days globally. Therefore, a research to dif-
ferentiate the advantages and disadvantages of both the formats and the reasons
that are primary to opt for the one over the other at a regional level is very much
the need of the hour. The study aimed to find out the interest and preference that
prevailed in the minds of students of Gulf University, Kingdom of Bahrain,
with respect to the adopting of electronic textbooks over the printed textbooks
as this kind of study has been carried out much limited in this region. A list of
questions was made in order to find out the pros and cons of the printed text-
books and electronic textbooks so that the valid reasons for the preference could
be identified. The study adopted a quantitative research design and the ques-
tionnaire as a research tool to collect the data. The result affirms that most of
the students are familiar with both the formats of textbooks and are more com-
fortable using electronic textbooks and have expressed their willingness to a
complete shift from printed textbooks to electronic textbooks. Nevertheless, the
findings make it clear that the students opt for electronic textbooks depending
upon the nature of the subject or academic discipline.
Keywords—Printed textbook, electronic textbook, textbook preference, Gulf
University.
1 Introduction
Cybernation has become an indispensable phenomenon of the contemporary era
which has its impact on every field of civilization. As Weisburg [1] suggested that
digital technology is used for “communication, socialization, entertainment and learn-
ing information,” it has its significant role to play in the area of education as well.
Karabatzaki [2] confirmed that use of technology has enriched student engagement
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
drastically. In the opinion of Simon and Garcia-Belmar [3], the tech-savvy mentality
of the contemporary students has welcomed the encroachment of innovative technol-
ogies into the teaching and learning process. Irrespective of the ages, the main pur-
pose of education has always been to help students “become independent learners,
able to inquire, understand, and analyze ideas and use their knowledge to solve prob-
lems,” as defined by Dobler [4]. Ever since the beginning of ancient civilization, edu-
cation has been changing its form owing to the societal shifts. Hence, in today’s era,
education is bound to infuse technology to make the teaching interesting and the
learning experience not only just informative but also fascinating and fun-filled by
using varied digital tools meant for education as affirmed by Dayakar [5] that “the e-
resources have become an inseparable part of the educational system.” To add to this,
Makwanya and Oni [6] asserted that, “Individuals are now used to producing, writing,
storing and retrieving documents electronically on a wide range of electronic devic-
es.”
As the days progress, it has started its invasion into the textbook materials too as
the students of today are considered by Reich et al. [7] to be “digital natives.” Initially
the digital technology has played a role in making the teaching methods to be more
effective by providing audio-visual aids such as audio tracks, videos, live streaming
etc. As Engbrecht [8] encapsulated that the teachers have been, “using more multime-
dia in their presentations and incorporating digital resources such as academic games
and interactive websites into lesson plans.” But, in course of time, it has evolved to be
the pioneer to change from the printed textbooks to electronic textbooks which in the
recent past has further developed to be interactive electronic textbooks. As Boticki et
al. [9] affirmed that, “E-books have become a popular medium for content delivery
and are being widely accepted as an alternative to traditional paper-based books.”
Muir and Hawes [10] discovered through their study that “electronic and print books
can co-exist, and the growth of the former represents more of an opportunity than a
threat.” This confirmed the prediction offered by Lee, Messom and Yau [11] that the
electronic textbooks, “will potentially replace existing paper-based textbooks.”
Hence, a thorough analysis to find out the preference of the students with respect to
the preferred format of textbooks forms the background of this study.
Gulf University is a private university that offers Bachelor program in four aca-
demic specializations namely Interior Design Engineering, Administrative and Finan-
cial Sciences, Human Resource Management and Mass Communication. The key
purpose of Gulf University is to impart outcome-based education through the state-of-
the-art infrastructure equipped with advanced technologies inculcating attributes of
creativity and sustainability. The researchers in the university leave no stone unturned
to find the ways and means to show continuous progression in enhancing the academ-
ic excellence. This study is fundamentally an attempt to clarify if there is a need to
change the mode of textbooks for enriching the learning experience of the students.
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2 Literature Review
Traditional teaching and learning started with manuscript resources which later be-
came the printed textbooks with the invention of printing press. In the words of Majid
et al. [12], “Books are the most important medium for knowledge dissemination,
personality development, and for leisure reading.” As this printed form has been the
only resource to get information in educational institutions since childhood, no won-
der the whole generation of the early 20th century derived pleasure out of treasuring
the textbooks, sharing the textbooks with others, highlighting, note-taking and scrib-
bling on the textbooks when bored in classes. These constitute wonderful memories of
that generation's study days. In addition, reselling of the printed textbooks as well as
the touch and feel of them really contributed to its preference both by the education-
ists and users. The students’ familiarity with the traditional printed textbooks as well
as the comfort and ease of use of printed textbooks are the primary reasons for the
students’ preference of the same and this was confirmed by the study undertaken by
Bouck, Weng, & Satsangi [13]. Miller and Schrier [14] opined that the technology-
driven students “may be accustomed to using technology, but they do not know, or are
not taught, how to use it efficiently and effectively.” Maybe these are the reasons for
the preference of printed textbooks by the students even today as Millar and Schrier
[14] observed thus, “Students also appreciate that with printed textbooks they can go
back and look at their notes and highlighted sections of the book after a course has
ended as some like to keep their textbooks. However, for e-textbooks, many are only
available for a semester, after which time a student loses access to it.” In addition,
Mangen et al. [15] pointed out that, “Scrolling is known to hamper the process of
reading, by imposing a spatial instability which may negatively affect the reader’s
mental representation of the text and, by implication, comprehension.” Further, Cen-
namo, Ross, and Ertmer [16] expressed their concern that, “Computer monitors chal-
lenge our eyes in ways that printed text does not and may lead to vision problems.”
According to Lokar [17], electronic textbooks could be reasonably cheaper than
printed textbooks and according to Chulkov & Van Alstine [18], the preference for
the previous is based on “cost, ease of purchase, ability to keep the book, and match
to their learning style." Nevertheless, Lee et al. [11] noted that the act of going digital
also costs a lot. The cost comprises of purchase of smart devices, installation of soft-
ware, maintenance of hardware, network infrastructure, additional accessories, inter-
net usage, operational costs, upgrade and replacement costs, updating of anti-virus,
and professional training. However, availability of a wide range of electronic devices
at reasonable prices make it possible and affordable for people to own the smart de-
vices according to Wiese & du Plessis [19]. Asunka [20] opined that in the 1970s the
electronic textbooks are just digitalised print books with no added technical features
or interactive tools which was further confirmed by Choppin et al. [21]. Hence, these
were not playing an impactful role in enhancing the learning experience of students or
helping the teachers in enhancing the effectiveness of the adopted pedagogies. Instead
of facilitating the teaching experience to be more comfortable, electronic textbooks
gave a nightmare to teachers owing to the lack of training, incompatibility between
resources and devices, poor receptivity, buffering due to intermittent flow of internet,
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eye strain, posture problems, information overload and user resistance - hampering
the smooth running of classes with electronic textbooks. However, the more practical
and functional electronic textbooks have evolved in 2009 as stated by Weisberg [1],
who acknowledged that they “offered little more than straightforward reading capabil-
ities.” In 2010, this version was further developed with a few more added features on
the smart devices such as, “basic note taking, highlighting, and search capabilities,” as
confirmed by Weisberg [1]. However, the study conducted by Mizrachi et al. [22]
found out that the students preferred to print out for highlighting rather than using
digital features. Muir and Hawes [10] discovered that the students need upgraded
interface to enhance the learning experience and according to Baker-Eveleth and
Stone [23], the students access electronic textbooks to view, “content on a website, a
PDF download, or on an electronic reading device.” Almost all the electronic text-
books come in a PDF format as it is considered to be more user-friendly and nearly
“all computers and other digital computing devices such as smart phones and tablets
have software that will render PDF files without compromising the original format-
ting,” as confirmed by Feldstein et al. [24]. Thanks to the technological advance-
ments, there has been an evolution and in course of time the upgraded electronic text-
books have gained momentum owing to features namely, “still and moving graphics,
and video clips, as well as the potential to add supportive materials such as audio
collections, links to activities and websites etc.,” as studied by Woody, Daniel, and
Baker [25] acknowledging the opinion of Heider, Laverick, and Bennett [26] that
electronic textbooks have the potential to “offer students a more personalized, interac-
tive multimedia experience.” As defined by Rockinson-Szapkiw et al. [27], these
interactive electronic books supported student engagement not only inside the class-
room but also outside the classroom which confirmed the idea of Mulholland & Bates
[28] that the electronic textbooks are in an atmosphere that is “rapidly and constantly
evolving.” This was further acknowledged by Sung et al. [29] thus, “the interactive e-
book learning mode can trigger learners’ deep motive, and hence promote their learn-
ing achievement.” According to the study conducted by Rowlands et al. [30], the
students tend to adopt electronic textbooks as they consider them to be updated, all
time accessible, not space consuming and user-friendly. They believe that technology
driven classes are more interesting as these really play a significant role in enhancing
the teaching and learning experience as confirmed by Rockinson-Szapkiw [27]. Nev-
ertheless, the students find problems regarding the readability, highlighting as well as
bookmarking and the way the teachers embed technology in class also matters in the
preferred choice made by the students. Chulkov and VanAlstine [18] argued that the
choice of the printed or electronic textbooks is highly influenced by the learning hab-
its of the students. Technology equips us with smart tools to bring in a vivid class-
room experience as confirmed by Merzifonluoglu [31]. However, it is the responsibil-
ity of teachers to opt for the right materials to impart the specified topic to the class
with a defined frame of reference. Further, Okert [32] asserted that “Several research
studies on the use of technology in the classroom have shown a positive impact on the
motivation of learners…” In this regard, Beetham and Sharepe [33] pinpointed that,
“It is arguable that there is no need for a theory of technology-enhanced learning.
Technology can play an important role in the achievement of learning outcomes, but it
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
seems unnecessary to explain this enhancement with a special account of learning.
Rather, the challenge is to describe how the technology allows underlying process
common to all learning to function effectively.” Hence, it becomes inevitable to find
out from the various sources the effectiveness of usage of electronic textbooks and
whether the effective use is variable to the kind of academic discipline chosen. The
findings of the study would lay a scope for the complete adoption of electronic text-
books by the university or maintaining the current trend of mix of printed and elec-
tronic textbooks.
3 Research Methodology
3.1 Research design
In this research, a quantitative methodology was used in order to examine the re-
spondents’ responses more objectively and to permit greater assessment. According to
the objective of the study, the questionnaire was designed and modified. In designing
the question items, the researchers adopted and modified the question pattern from
previous researchers to suit the current research. Data collection was made using an
online survey where the students were voluntarily invited from all the academic disci-
plines offered in Gulf University. The sample size (N=312) provided enough statisti-
cal power for the analysis to be performed on the data.
3.2 Data analysis
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 version was used for
data analysis. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and the data were collected
from students studying in Gulf University using the questionnaire. The questionnaire
employed to measure the concepts of demographic information such as (age, gender,
level of study and awareness) and the concept perceptions and preference on electron-
ic books and printed books. The data entailed descriptive.
4 Findings
A total of 312 students (Female: 180 and Male: 132) of Gulf University belonging
to various academic disciplines responded to the questionnaire out of which the sig-
nificant 52.2% are in the age group of 17-22 years and 32.4% in the age group of 23-
28 years. The data in detail are given in Figure 1:
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
Fig. 1. No of students in the program of study at Gulf university
Table 1. Respondents and their Program of Study
Program
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Valid
HR
31
9.9
9.9
9.9
ACC
27
8.7
8.7
18.6
Mass Comm
134
42.9
42.9
61.5
ID
120
38.5
38.5
100.0
Total
312
100.0
100.0
Printed textbooks: Students’ perspectives: 41.3% of the respondents mentioned
that they had sometimes used the printed textbooks, 21.4% mentioned that they had
been using printed textbooks regularly, 17.9% mentioned that they used the printed
textbooks only during the classes and 19.2% mentioned that had never used the print-
ed textbooks at all. The responses make it very clear that the printed textbooks are
losing its importance amidst the students as the students of today tend to resort to the
notes taken in the classes, abstracts from the recent research studies and other online
resources for the knowledge acquisition. The numbers of students using printed text-
books regularly and only during classes are gradually going down. When probed fur-
ther, the respondents listed the following as the drawbacks of printed textbooks:
Table 2. Number the following four drawbacks as per your preference of printed textbooks?
First Choice
Second Choice
Third Choice
Fourth Choice
Heavy to carry
41%
30%
12.7%
16.3%
Consume more space
20.3%
35.3%
35.4%
9%
Need specific lighting
27.8%
12.7%
17.7%
41.8%
Costly
10%
22%
35%
33%
The reasons for the preference of printed books are as follows:
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
Table 3. What do you like the most about the printed textbooks?
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Loaned or Borrowed
48
15.4
15.4
15.4
Touch and Feel
48
15.4
15.4
30.8
Portable
132
42.3
42.3
73.1
Highlighting and taking notes
56
17.9
17.9
91.0
None of the Above
28
9.0
9.0
100.0
Total
312
100.0
100.0
The responses make it very clear that the students preferred printed textbook for its
portability and availability for highlighting as well as taking notes which are in
alignment with the findings of Banik et al. [34], Johnston & Salaz [35], Khalid [36],
and Piramanayagam & Seal [37]. To support this, the study conducted by Johnston &
Ferguson [38] found out that the students hardly preferred to use highlighting digital
features while dealing with the electronic textbooks.
Electronic textbooks: students’ perspectives: 30.8% of the respondents men-
tioned that they had sometimes used the electronic textbooks, 28.2% mentioned that
they had been using electronic textbooks regularly, 31.7% mentioned that they used
the electronic textbooks only during the classes and 9.3% mentioned that had never
used the electronic textbooks at all. The responses make it very clear that the electron-
ic textbooks are gaining its momentum amidst the students which is in alignment with
the findings of Hendricks [39] and Leonard & Snyman [40] because the students of
today find it easier to access the online materials owing to the smart devices and high-
speed internet that are available to them at a reasonable price. The reasons for the
preference of electronic textbooks are as follows:
Table 4. What do you like about electronic textbooks?
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Speedy and Easy Access
151
48.4
48.4
48.4
Cost Effective
43
13.8
13.8
62.2
No Space Consumption
48
15.4
15.4
77.6
Ease of Archiving
33
10.6
10.6
88.1
None of the above
37
11.9
11.9
100.0
Total
312
100.0
100.0
Though the reasons for the preference were in tune with the findings of research
studies of Abram [41], Dillon [42], Shelburne [43] and Sun et al. [44], the students
were equally aware of the drawbacks of the electronic textbooks as their awareness is
clearly noted in the responses available in the table 5.
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
Table 5. Number the following four drawbacks as per your preference of electronic textbooks?
First Choice
Second Choice
Third Choice
Fourth Choice
Dependent on devices
40.5%
44.3%
3.8%
11.4%
Not good for prolonged reading
46.8%
16.5%
24%
12.7%
Posture problems
5%
31.5%
34.5%
29%
Adaptability issues
7.6%
7.6%
38%
46.4%
In addition, as Shin [45] pointed out that “When students find valuable infor-
mation, they want it stored on their personal computer or in a computer network to
secure its permanency. They do not consider an e-book as a permanent place to store
valuable information,” the students could not rely on electronic textbooks for an im-
mediate retrieval of stored information. However, the findings of Wang [46] and
Adeyinka et al. [47] suggested that the proportion of use of the electronic resources
was more than that of the printed books.
Textbooks: Printed or electronic: 51.9% of respondents mentioned that they
would prefer electronic textbooks whereas 48.1% mentioned that they would continue
with the printed textbooks. It is note-worthy to realize that the findings of the study
were contrary to the findings of the study carried out by Abuloum et al. [48] in Uni-
versity of Bahrain where the students were still expressing their interest to go for
printed books over the electronic textbooks. In the current study, when the question
was raised as to for what kind of subjects or academic disciplines, they would prefer
having electronic textbooks, the responses state thus:
Table 6. What kind of subjects you would prefer electronic textbooks?
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Languages
86
27.6
27.6
27.6
Mathematics & Engineering
71
22.8
22.8
50.3
Social Sciences & Management Studies
130
41.7
41.7
92.0
Sciences
25
8.0
8.0
100.0
Total
312
100.0
100.0
The respondents suggested that electronic textbooks are the best for academic dis-
ciplines like social sciences, management studies and languages in the order of pref-
erence. This may be due to highly theoretical nature of the courses pertaining to these
academic disciplines. 22.8% suggested that electronic textbooks could be preferred
for imparting mathematics and engineering disciplines whereas less than 10% sug-
gested that electronic textbooks could be suitable for science discipline. This calls for
an attention that the developers of electronic textbooks and other online resources
should pay more attention in designing the electronic textbooks pertaining to science
discipline in order to facilitate students.
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5 Discussion
This study intended to identify the reasons behind the preferred mode of textbooks
in Gulf University students and many such research studies have been carried out
globally. The study surveyed a sample of 312 students from various academic disci-
plines namely Interior Design Engineering, Administrative and Financial Sciences,
Human Resource Management and Mass Communication. In the sample, it was wor-
thy to note that a greater number of female students than male students participated
though the sampling was drawn at random. All the students participated in the online
survey were experienced in using textbooks for their studies in both printed and elec-
tronic formats. The findings stated that they would prefer to opt for electronic text-
books altogether.
In addition, the participants were aware of the necessity of the smart devices and
varied formats of electronic textbooks. Further, they possessed the advanced
knowledge of the latest interactive tools available on electronic textbooks and the
thorough awareness of the need for high speed internet for the knowledge transmis-
sion through electronic textbooks. Since the students had the experience of handling
both the formats of textbooks, the findings of this study become more authentic. In
addition, the respondents possessed the knowledge to compare the effective
knowledge transfer of varied subjects too.
6 Conclusion
This study identified the reasons behind the students’ preference of printed or elec-
tronic versions of textbooks only taking into consideration the current students of Gulf
University. Hence, it lays the scope to extend the study for the entire university stu-
dent population of the whole country or the region for a more concrete result. Longi-
tudinal research should be initiated in future to decide on the complete adoption of
electronic textbooks in the higher educational institutes. Comparing the trend with
other countries can also facilitate more interpretations in this regard. Despite the re-
peated researches in various parts of the globe, the question of making printed or
traditional textbooks completely dispensable is still unanswered. However, the chang-
ing trend of modernization and evolution of technology on a day-to-day basis may
lead to complete switch over from printed textbooks to electronic textbooks.
7 Acknowledgement
You may mention here granted financial support or acknowledge the help you got
from others during your research work.
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iJET ‒ Vol. 15, No. 18, 2020
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Paper—Printed Textbooks Versus Electronic Textbooks: A Study on the Preference of Students of Gulf...
9 Authors
Mohanned Alfiras received his B.Sc. Honors degree in Electric and Electronic
Engineering in 1998 from University of Technology, Iraq. He continued his higher
education at the same University and accomplished his MS. and Ph.D. degrees in
Communication System Engineering in 2000 and 2006, respectively. In 2006, he
joined Gulf University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer
Communication Engineering. He was promoted as the Head of Computer Communi-
cation Engineering in 2008. Mohanned Al Firas has authored/co-authored over 41
research/publications in peer reviewed reputed journals and presented papers in nu-
merous conferences. With his academic accomplishments, he also continued his aca-
demic administrative duties at Gulf University. He fulfilled his duty as the Dean of
Admissions and Registration of Gulf University. Since 2015, he had been extending
his duty as the Acting President of Gulf University and from 2017 he has become the
President of Gulf University.
Janaki Bojiah teaches English at Gulf University, Kingdom of Bahrain. She has
nearly 20 research publications to her credit. She has the experience of participating in
and organizing seminars and conferences.
Article submitted 2020-04-26. Resubmitted 2020-05-25. Final acceptance 2020-05-28. Final version
published as submitted by the authors.
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