The Potentials and Pitfalls of e-book learning

Abstract

E-books are increasingly used in educational contexts worldwide and have much to offer teachers and pupils in terms of their flexibility, their potential for personalisation, their interactive features and the fact that many texts can be stored on one, light, portable device (Embong et al., 2012). Yet there remain concerns about children spending too much time using screens, despite evidence that it is not harmful. This dissertation therefore seeks explore the issue in more depth using a qualitative research design, based on semi-structured interviews. Eight teachers and trainee teachers were asked their views about e-books, their advantages and disadvantages and whether or not they have the potential to completely replace printed books in the classroom. Three major themes were constructed from the interviewees’ responses: the perceptions of the costs of e-books, e-books’ unique potential and resistance to change. The issue of cost was regarded by participants as an insurmountable barrier to introducing e-books in the classroom, because there was a tendency to regard them as an optional luxury which could take resources from other more traditional classroom necessitates. Interviewees did not discuss e-books in terms of an investment which could provide future savings. Some of the benefits of e-books were well recognised and the teachers and trainees were aware that e-books offer various beneficial features. However, this did not mean that they accepted the change wholeheartedly and, despite up-to-date evidence to the contrary, their comments demonstrated that they clung to outmoded views about the dangers of too much screen time. It is therefore recommended that teachers and trainees should receive adequate training in this area and recognise that screen time is neither avoidable or nor optional because all areas of society now have a digital infrastructure (Livingstone, 2019). A change in attitude is therefore required to shift the focus from the perceived dangers of using e-books and focus instead on the content, the connections and the benefits of this form of teaching material.