A joker in the class: Teenage readers' attitudes and preferences to reading on different devices Åse Kristine Tveit a, ⁎, Anne Mangen a,b a Department of Archivistics, Library and Information Studies, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, PO Box 4, St. Olavs plass, NO-0130 Oslo, Norway b The National Centre for Reading Education and Research, University of Stavanger, NO-4036 Stavanger, Norway abstract article info Available online 14 November 2014 Keywords: Reading habits E-reading Reading devices Teenage readers A comparison of 10th graders' reading of a narrative, literary text on a Sony e-reader and in print showed that preferences for reading devices are related to gender and to general reading habits. One hundred forty-three students participated in the study. In a school setting, students were asked to begin reading a novel on one device and then continue reading the same novel on the other device. A survey was administered before and after the reading session, measuring reading habits in general, device preferences, and experiences with screen and paper reading. Results showed that, overall, most students preferred reading on the e-reader. This preference was particularly strong among boys and reluctant readers, whereas avid readers were more in favor of print. Implications of these findings to library policies and priorities are discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Modes, habits and preferences of reading are closely tied to technol- ogies, and the technology of print has been shown to be remarkably resilient and versatile (Manguel, 1997; van der Weel, 2011). Once primarily, if not exclusively, connected with printed materials, reading is now carried out on an increasing number of digital mobile reading devices, such as e-readers, tablets, and smart phones. The dispersion of reading to digital devices can be assumed to be particularly salient in cohorts typically open to and curious about technological innovations, such as children and teenagers. In much research literature on technologies and reading, an idea has gained currency that new generations growing up with ubiquitous access to digital technologies possess distinct and sophisticated skills using these technologies (see Livingstone, 2010, 2012; Margaryan, Littlejohn, & Vojt, 2011 for an overview). Commonly labeled “digital natives” (cf Prensky, 2001), these cohorts are claimed to show different patterns of medium/technology preference and reading/learning habits compared to those of older generations. A number of metastudies (Bennett & Maton, 2010; Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008; Helsper & Eynon, 2010; Jones, Ramanau, Cross, & Healing, 2010) have begun cast- ing doubt about the existence of such a cohort and phenomenon. Never- theless, questions about teenagers' reading habits, preferences, and experiences are vital as they may indicate future trends of reading. Until fairly recently, digitization of reading was primarily something going on outside the literary domain, such as searching or online news reading. With the increasing popularity of e-readers and tablets, howev- er, it is not unlikely that literary reading will be increasingly screen- rather than paper-bound. Such a transition is an occasion to address a number of intriguing research questions about literary reading habits and preferences and how these may, or may not, be influenced by digital reading platforms. 2. Problem statement The ongoing digitization of reading has considerable implications for both public and research libraries, and more research-based knowledge is needed pertaining to the influences of new reading devices habits of reading among a wide variety of library users. Programming, reading pro- motion, and collection development are among the services influenced by changes in media use and reading habits. In addition, e-readers might help foster a more positive attitude to (literary) reading for reluctant and struggling readers who may not master reading very well, and for whom the paper book is a reminder of their own shortcomings. The present study was designed to empirically address aspects of teenagers' leisure reading preferences. The main focus of this study is teenage readers' self-reported experi- ences and attitudes toward literary reading on a digital device versus in a printed book. The research questions are as follows: RQ1: What are 10th graders' preferences, experiences and attitudes of reading in general, and of literary reading in particular, on e-books and in print? RQ2: Do responses display patterns that may relate to (i) gender, (ii) differences in socioeconomic status (SES), and (iii) reader profile? Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 179–184 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: aase.k.tveit@hioa.no (Å.K. Tveit). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2014.08.001 0740-8188/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Library & Information Science Research