This project is an experiment involving different mediums of receiving information and how it’s affected by comprehension.

In 1971, Michael S. Hart made the first e-reader by typing the declaration of independence into a computer. Since then, many different companies have created more advanced versions of the e-books, such as a Kindle, Nook, or the popular Apple version: the iPad. These have become steadily more popular with adults and teenagers alike. It was just a matter of time before popular technology affected public education. In 2010, Clearwater High School became the first school in the nation to issue e-readers, 2,150 Amazon Kindles to be exact, to every one of their students instead of printed textbooks.

There are many perks to using e-readers as opposed to printed books in school. “A recently released survey by Scholastic found that a third of 9 to 17-year-olds said that they would read more books for fun if they had an e-reader”. The Kindle is more cost effective than a printed textbook. The retail cost of a Kindle is $80.00 as opposed to $500.00 for printed textbooks for the average student in a school year. It is also lighter. A Kindle can hold about 1,500 books. Imagine trying to carry that around! Though unproven, people are also testing whether the e-reader might help children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities.

This information fascinated the researcher. It made her wonder if the use of e-readers had any affect on comprehension. She believed that the use of a printed text would result in better comprehension of the material rather than the use of n e-reader such as an iPad.

Not much research has been done to determine the impact of the use of e-readers on reading skills such as reading comprehension. Something as important as a child’s education makes this experiment worthwhile.

Hypotheses: If a student is tested for comprehension using a printed text, then he or she will comprehend better than when tested for comprehension using an e-reader, such as an iPad.

If a student is tested for comprehension by listening to an oral exam, then he or she will score lower than if he or she is tested with an e-reader or printed text.

The researcher used 10 Ipads with paper answer sheets, 10 printed tests and answer sheets, and 10 printed answer sheets to be used for the oral portion of the testing. 10 students were selected at random for participation, covering all grade levels and reading levels.

The research took place at Osceola Middle School, November 11, 2011, during A lunch. The experiment took approximately 45 minutes. The researcher took 10 students, and tested them as a group. First they took the test from the Ipad. They had 6 minutes to read a short story off of the Ipad and answer about 15 questions on a