When
it comes to textbooks, research has shown higher education students feel print
is easier to use, but they’ll buy digital materials if those are cheaper. That
prompted three economics faculty members at the University of Idaho, Moscow, to
dig deeper into what compels an undergraduate to choose electronic textbooks
over traditional paper ones.
Their
findings, published in the spring issue of The American Economist journal, revealed that students who purchase e-textbooks
share a number of characteristics.
For
one, they are more likely to be paying for their education through scholarships
and loans, which indicates they may need to watch their budget. Students who
had attended larger high schools, typically in more urban areas, also were more
apt to buy e-textbooks in college, evidently because they had more exposure to
this medium than students who went to smaller and presumably more
resource-strapped schools.
Almost
93% of the student respondents in the Idaho survey owned a laptop computer, and
not quite 40% of them owned a desktop computer, either in addition to the
laptop or in place of it. However, a much higher percentage of the desktop
owners had bought a digital textbook than the laptop-only owners, although it’s
not clear exactly why. The reasons may have to do with screen size and Internet
connectivity.
Not
surprisingly, students indicated their professors’ attitude toward e-textbooks
was a big factor. If the professor recommended or encouraged students to use
the digital version of a book, they were more likely to do so.
In
the College of Business and Economics, some 80% of the students had used an
e-textbook—partly because, the research team discovered, more business/economics
courses were adopting course materials available only in an electronic format.
E-textbook purchases were also higher among students in science, engineering,
and agriculture studies than other majors.
To
a lesser extent, age and gender played roles as well, with younger and female
students more likely to buy electronic textbooks.
However,
there is one undermining facet to the Idaho study: It was conducted in November
2009, prior to the launch of the iPad and the ensuing flood of tablets on the
market. The researchers acknowledge that tablets could have a major impact on
digital textbooks. Also, since 2009, textbook publishers have greatly expanded
their catalogs of digital course materials and ancillary services.
