Recent studies have yielded contradictory results regarding how reading
from print or from the screen influences reading comprehension. This
study examined 12-year-old students’ (N = 142) reading comprehension
using printed text and digital text. The results indicated that
performance was similar for printed text and digital text, even when
gender, decoding skills, preference for school tasks on paper, screen,
or both, and self-concept as a reader and computer user were controlled
for. Regardless of the reading medium, students with better decoding
skills and a higher self-concept as a reader performed better, boys
outperformed girls, and students equally willing to study with books and
computers outperformed students who preferred computers. The results of
this study highlight the benefits of flexible use of both printed texts
and digital texts for reading comprehension. As students are getting as
used to studying via computers as they are to studying from books, the
emphasis on the medium of studying seems to become less important. The
topic of this study is of great relevance in a modern school context
where ICT use has become a part of daily schoolwork worldwide.