Ventriglio 1

Brittany Ventriglio Professor Kuzma ENC 1102.423 12, April 2011 A Web of Ideas: Which Medium Proves To Be More Beneficial? Introduction As technology and the web evolve and become more popular mediums for reading text, the manner in which our society reads and processes information from these text formats alter quickly. There are both pros and cons when comparing reading hypertext (reading text from an electronic screen) versus reading linear text (reading from a traditional book.) Because of these differences, one may face a challenge when deciding which medium may be ones personal preference and a more efficient tool to utilize when retrieving information. Research has found some negative aspects associated with reading hypertext (Carr; Destefano and LeFevre). Carr references his personal experiences of using the internet as a medium to support his belief that Google and the utilization of basic internet hinders the readers ability to stay focused on one piece of text. He also includes another opinion from a credible psychologist, Maryanne Wolf, developmental psychologist at Tufts University, who expresses concern that utilizing the net weakens ones capacity to gain deep meaning and comprehension from hypertext. Carr cites a study claiming readers go online to actually avoid reading in a traditional sense and that, even though our society reads more than it did in previous years, reading via hypertext triggers a new way of thinking. In a similar sense, DeStefano and LeFevre provide support for their belief that reading hypertext actually impairs ones ability to comprehend text.

Ventriglio 2 Both authors discuss the use of a process model of hypertext reading to measure the cognitive processes that took place while readers read text through an online database. The article concluded, after the studies took place, that students will often need more guidance in learning hypertext than higherability readers. What could this mean for lower-ability readers? We are still unsure. Dillon also incorporates facts regarding the negative effects of reading hypertext and claims that hypertext has largely failed to fulfill much of its early promise. The author uses primarily personal knowledge regarding both mediums to make the claim that hypertext will continue to influence our use of information but only if designed and used properly. On the other hand, both Peter Foltz as well as Esther and Madrid argue that there is no significant difference between reading hypertext or linear text. Foltz, a professor in the Department of Psychology from New Mexico State University, first discusses research results based on an experiment regarding this topic and concludes that there is no great advantage in reading one type versus the other. Although he also concludes in his second article that there is no great difference between the two mediums, Foltz initially cites statistical data in his first article. This data is an outcome from an experiment in which the comprehension and reading times show that there were very few differences between the text formats but that the changes that did exist may have arose from the different strategies used for reading through the text. Although this may leave a small gap of uncertainty, Esther and Madrid reveal testing results from fifty university students from the discipline of Tourism. The Statistical analyses revealed that the hypertextual medium did not affect learners overall reading comprehension... (Usojuan and Ruiz-Madrid 59). Overall, these three articles conclude that there are no significant differences present among cognitive performances regarding the hyper and linear mediums of reading. Although most sources conclude that either reading hypertext may hinder cognitive performance or that there may be no significant difference between the two mediums, both George Landow as well as OHara

Ventriglio 3 and Sellen focus on the positive aspects of reading either hypertext or linear text. Landow exemplifies on the great benefits of reading hypertext. He makes numerous statements that show the advantages of reading hypertext and states that many of us now think of books as fragile, non-permanent, and claims that books have lost their aesthetic stature and sense of sensibility and performance. (Landow 208). While much of Landows article deals with pros and cons of both hypertext reading and reading from a book, it seems as though Landows article acts as an advocate toward hypertext reading. On the other side of the spectrum, OHara and Sellen focus on the positive aspects of reading linear text instead. This article includes a laboratory study to compare reading linear text versus reading hypertext. Ten voluntary people participated in a study and were asked to summarize a four-page article. The article points out that linear text continues to be the preferred medium because of the fact that on-line reading hinders the reader from annotating the reading. The article includes improvements that can be made in the future regarding hypertext reading, such as bigger screen sizes, but makes the overall claim that linear text is more beneficial for a reader that normally engages with his or her text. In determining which medium is more beneficial for a reader to use, it is quite unclear because of the many aspects that are present when making this decision. For instance, DeStefano and LeFevre focus more on the cognitive aspect of reading through a chosen medium while Landow and OHara and Sellen touch more on the pleasurable aspects of reading hypertext, such as being able to annotate while reading linear text. Although much information is present, there is always a different purpose for reading that is present each time a reader picks up a book or opens their web browser to take in some information. Whether it be seeking specific information, reading for an assignment, or perhaps for ones enjoyment, whichever medium seems to be more beneficial each time may rely solely on preference of the reader.

Ventriglio 4 Methodology In an attempt to ultimately find out which medium proves to be more beneficial to the reader, I have accumulated data from two different sources. My secondary research was found by surveying twenty-three freshman students enrolled in an English course at the University of Central Florida. Surveying these college students, gave me a clear idea as to what well-educated students prefer as their medium for reading, as well as their rationale for selecting the medium that they did. Parts of the survey included somewhat simple questions, such as Would you rather read text from an electronic screen, such as the internet, or from a traditional book? and also included questions that asked the responder to provide a short written response of his or her own. One of the questions posed was What are some of the positive aspects that you find from reading from a book? Any negatives? My purpose for asking questions that requested a written response, was to provide myself with more personalized data to help find an answer to this very broad question. My other source of research, or primary research, was based on eight credible sources, some of which were found from the online UCF library system, or from JSTOR. All eight sources were written by authors who provide valuable and/or statistical evidence as to why, in their opinion, utilizing one medium may prove better than the other medium.

Results While over fifty percent, particularly fifteen students, of the twenty three students surveyed chose book as the medium they preferred for reading, the majority of those students also checked the box that indicated that he or she tends to annotate when reading. Most of them also included that they like the portability that a book provides and claim that he or she has trouble staying focused when reading online. On the other hand, those who chose the electronic medium for reading, such as Meredith Jones, claim that reading online gets to the point quicker, and that its process is short and simple. They also expressed an appreciation for the easy portability and access of the internet versus the drudgery of having to carry a weighty textbook.

Ventriglio 5 Discussion Because of the fact that each time a reader picks up a book or opens the internet to read some text accompanies a different purpose for reading, it is unclear as to which medium may be more sufficient to use. After reviewing and considering the points that were given from scholarly articles in addition to reviewing the survey data from my primary research, I have come to the conclusion that the most beneficial medium of reading may rely on a number of factors. Such factors include the readers purpose for reading, his/her ability to stay focused throughout a lengthy written text, his/her choice for portability, ease-of-use and convenience, and most prominent, the readers overall personal preference of medium, which may fluctuate.

While all authors provide at least one credible opinion and/or statistical data, all authors describe how either medium affected a readers ability to comprehend, either positively or negatively, the experimental text. Each author analyzes the cognitive aspects of which medium may be better, such as the cognitive performance of the readers or their memory that was tested when they were asked to recall certain information from the experimental texts. Even so, no article incorporates the many aspects that come into play when deciding which medium may be better to use, with some articles leaving small gaps in the conclusions. For example, DeStefano and LeFevre focus the ways in which hypertext impairs reading performance. They use a process model of hypertext reading to measure the readers cognitive processes as they read text via an online database. Overall, the authors made the claim that students will often need more guidance in learning hypertext than readers who function at a higher-ability. While it is important, and almost easy, to take this issue into consideration for the lower-ability readers and their requirement to provide more support when utilizing hypertext, where does that leave higher-ability readers? This is just one of the numerous gaps and aspects that require us to still pose the question, Which medium is, undeniably, more beneficial to use? This proves the premise that, depending on the cognitive ability of the reader, linear text may be more beneficial for students while, on the other than

Ventriglio 6 hypertext may be advantageous to higher-ability readers. The deciding factors for which medium may be more beneficial cognitively are undefined and the aspects that answer this question may be endless and, ultimately, may depend on the readers personal preference. Additionally, several articles that were found as part of my secondary research claim that there is no difference in cognitive performance that separates the amount of efficiency of the reading hypertext versus linear text. This claim was found in the articles of both Peter Foltz articles as well as Esther and Madrids article. The Statistical analyses from Esther and Madrid reveal that the hypertextual medium did not affect learners overall reading comprehension... (Uso-juan and Ruiz-Madrid 59). This overall reveals that, although thesearticles reveal statistical evidence, there are many variables that are considered when experimenting to try to answer this question. These numerous variables serve to support the reason as to why different experiments conclude differing results as to which medium is more literary-beneficial.

After conducting my primary research and considering the outcomes of from the twenty-three completed surveys, it is also clear that while the eight sources deal with the mediums in a cognitive sense, there are other factors besides cognition that may determine which medium is more beneficial. The majority of respondents chose linear text or book as their medium of choice when reading. When asked to offer support for their choice, most responders who chose the book form claim that reading linear text prevents them from getting distracted as they do when they read from the internet. Additionally, several responders noted that they preferred the tangible feel of a book and the convenience of its portability. This proves that there are other factors, besides cognition, that determine which medium is more beneficial to use. For instance, when simply looking up a definition of unknown word and a computer is nearby, it may be more beneficial to use the computer than to go hunting for a dictionary or thesaurus. Also, while many state that reading linear text rather than hypertext helps the reader stay focused, one must consider the internets ease of use and availability when accessing links to delve into a specific topics. An oppositional

Ventriglio 7 viewpoint can suggest that a reader may experience difficulty staying focused when linking between web sites. All of these factors come into play when deciding which medium to use each time the reader must decide between hyper or linear text.Despite the fact that the choice of hyper or linear text may vary each time, depending on the reader and his or her purpose for reading, the advantages and disadvantages of both mediums are still present. For example, Peter Foltz article "Comprehension, Coherence and Strategies in Hypertext and Linear Text" goes into detail about how hypertext is able to incorporate new features that are not able to be incorporated into linear text, such as graphics like detailed charts and graphs that do not look as eye-appealing or easy to read on paper. On the other hand, Landows statement in his article suggests the viewpoint which many of us now think of books as fragile and nonpermanent, a belief that correlates with a student surveyors response as a negative or disadvantage of reading from a book. Although there are numerous pros and cons to both mediums, one reader may prefer the portability of a book and choose linear text as his or her preferred medium while another may choose hypertext simply because of dainty feel of a book. In this case, once again, the preference depends on the reader. Although endless cognitive-based studies can be experimented and analyzed, and while numerous authors are able to give their credible opinions on which medium may be more efficient to read from, the one that proves more beneficial to yourself is the one that can best suit your needs in your daily life. With that being said, we all know our day-to-day lives are constantly changing. While the portability and ease of reading from a traditional book is the medium you may prefer on Monday when walking from class-toclass in the hallways, Tuesday may help you choose otherwise when trying to find the latest news that is updated to CNNs website. Overall, the most beneficial medium to use is the one you choose each day that is based on your purpose for reading, reading selection, your attention span when reading, and, in my opinion, the most predominant factor of all, your sole personal preference that suits you best.

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Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Atlantic. The Atlantic Group. Aug. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.

DeStefano, Diana, and Jo-Anne LeFevre. Cognitive Load in Hypertext Reading: A Review. Computers in Human Behavior 23.3 (May 2007): 1616-41. Web. Mar. 2011.

Dillon, Andrew. Myths, Misconceptions and an Alternative Perspective on Information Usage and the Electronic Medium. Hypertext and Cognition. Ed. J.F. Rouet et al. Mahwah, NJ: LEA, 1996. 25-42. Web. 11, Mar. 2011.

Foltz, Peter. Comprehension, Coherence and Strategies in Hypertext and Linear Text. Hypertext and Cognition. Ed. J.F. Rouet et al. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence, 1996. Web 11, Mar. 2011.

Foltz, Peter. Readers Comprehension and Strategies in Linear text and Hypertext. Boulder, CO: Institute of Cognitive Science, 1996. Web. 7, Mar. 2011.

Ventriglio 9 Juan-Eso, Esther, and Noella Ruiz-Madrid. Reading Printed Versus Online Texts: A Study of EFL Learners Strategic Reading Behavior. International Journal of English Studies 9.2 (2009): 59-79. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.

Landow, George. Twenty Minutes Into The Future, Or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book? The Future of the Book. Ed. Geoffrey Nonberg. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. 209-37. Web.

OHara Kenton, and Abigail Sellen. A Comparison of Reading Paper and On-line Documents. Ran Xerox Research Center. U.K: Cambridge. 1997. Web. 8, Mar. 2011.

Ventriglio, Brittany. Survey: Linear vs. Hypertext Reading. Survey. 29, Mar. 2011. Print.

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Appendix A

Survey: Linear vs. Hypertext Reading

You are in no way obligated to complete this survey. It is completely voluntary and you may stop at any point.

1.

How many days do you read per week (outside of schooling purposes)?

1-2 days___

3-5 days ____

5+ days ___

2. Would you rather read text from an electronic screen, such as the internet, or from a traditional book?

book ____

electronic ____

3. If you answered book to number 2, do you like to annotate and/or take short notes when you read?

yes ____

no____

4. When reading online, do you tend to skip from website to website and/or have trouble staying focused?

yes ____ no ____

5. When reading solely for pleasure, would you rather read from a book or from an electronic device?

book ____

electronic ___

why? _________________________________________

6. Do the occasional complications of using the internet make you prefer reading text from a book rather than using the web?

yes ____

no____

7. What are some of the positive aspects that you find from reading from a book? Any negatives?

______________________________________________________________

8. What are some of the positive aspects that you find from reading through an electronic device? Any negatives?

______________________________________________________________

9. Does your purpose for reading (whether for pleasure, informative, or school-based) help you distinguish which medium (electronic or book form) you prefer to read from each time you read?

yes ____ no____