Digital reading: Effects on the reading comprehension of elementary school students

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of digital reading compared to traditional reading on reading comprehension in elementary school students. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental de-sign was employed with the participation of 80 students from 4th and 5th grade of elementary education, assigned to a control group and an experimental group. Results showed a significant ad-vantage for digital reading (M = 15.8, SD = 2.4) over traditional reading (M = 13.2, SD = 3.1), t(78) = 4.42, p < 0.001, d = 0.97. The greatest differences were observed in inferential comprehension (∆ = 1.2 points) and critical comprehension (∆ = 0.9 points). This large effect size suggests that incorporating digital resources can substantially enhance reading comprehension in the elementary education context. The findings are discussed in relation to current literature on digital literacy and emerging pedagogies, highlighting the importance of adapting teaching strategies to the new reading modalities that predominate in the digital era.