Reading Comprehension Tests in the ESL Classroom: Digital or Print?

Abstract

This essay aims to investigate Swedish upper secondary school students’ reading comprehension of digital and printed tests as well as students’ perception of their own reading comprehension skills. The research questions addressed were (1) if there is a difference in students’ reading comprehension skills depending on if it is digital or on paper; (2) if there is a connection between vocabulary and reading comprehension skills in the two mode; (3) if there is a difference in students’ perception of their digital and paper reading skills; and finally, (4) if there is a connection between extracurricular reading and reading comprehension. Two reading comprehension tests were conducted, one digital and one on paper, a vocabulary test, and a questionnaire consisting of both close-ended and open-ended questions about the students’ extramural reading habits, perceptions and attitudes toward reading and learning in the English classroom. The results showed a tendency of the girls outperforming the boys to a certain degree, the low-achieving boys having especially low scores in the digital mode and the girls being less affected by the mode of the test. Results show that students’ perception of their performance on the tests align with their scores, meaning they have good metacognitive understanding of their performance. The findings highlight the importance of further research into learner specific variables affecting computerbased reading comprehension tests, specifically for students with low English proficiency.