Screen or paper? The effect of reading medium on children's comprehension and meta-comprehension.

Recent studies with adults and adolescnets suggest that reading on screen impairs reading comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy, compared to reading on paper. However, it is unclear whether the same it true for young, elementary school chidren, especially given their extensive use of techonology nowdays. The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of reading medium, screen versus paper, on elementary-school children's reading comprehension, metacomprehension, and reading time. Second and fifth graders read short texts on paper and on screen, and their self-paced reading time was recorded. For each text, they then judged their comprehension and completed a comprehension test. They also answered questionnaires that assessed their usage of computers and preferences for reading on screen versus on paper. Results revealed better reading comprehension and less overconfidence when reading on paper versus when reading on screen. Reading time was not affected by the medium used for reading. These results were observed both for second graders and fifth graders and were not moderated by the extent of computer usage or by children's medium preferences. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.