Remember the weight of a backpack stuffed with textbooks? For generations, students lugged around heavy volumes—but now, a tablet or laptop can hold an entire library. As classrooms evolve, one question remains: Are digital textbooks actually better than the printed ones we grew up with? In this article I’m going to be breaking down the advantages of both digital and traditional print textbooks. I’ll compare both types and offer a conclusion with which is more effective! So without further ado, let’s dive into it:
Our Position: Why We Still Use Physical Textbooks
Research increasingly shows that students often retain information better from print than from screens — particularly for deep reading and comprehension.
For that reason, all Tenney students — including those enrolled in Tenney School Live — are issued physical textbooks. Even in an online environment, we preserve the cognitive advantages of print whenever possible.
Technology supports learning. It does not replace structure.
The Rise of Digital Textbooks
Digital textbooks have been increasing in popularity across all grade levels. Colleges began to adopt them first as students were embracing the use of technology in the classroom. It began to trickle down to high schools and now middle schools too. Online learning has also been growing in popularity which is further contributing to the rise in digital textbooks. Online learning platforms like Tenney School Live directly incorporate digital textbooks into their online curriculum that work seamlessly with teacher’s lesson plans. Certain additions like the search bar, interactive content, and textbook updates have also inclined more teachers to adopt digital textbooks. On top of this, teachers no longer need to worry about students writing directly in the textbooks as each digital textbook is the student’s own.
Benefits of Digital Textbooks
Digital textbooks have a number of benefits that cannot be overlooked when compared to their physical counterparts:
- Portability and convenience
- Cost-effectiveness and accessibility
- Inclusion of interactive learning tools (quizzes, videos, worksheets, etc.)
- Real-time updates and customizations
When considering a student’s point of view, digital textbooks have enormous benefits. Gone are the days of lugging around a heavy backpack! An additional benefit worth discussing is digital literacy. With our world digitizing more and more every day, it’s becoming important to teach students how to navigate the online sphere. When a student has digital literacy, they’re able to navigate the new world in a responsible way without getting distracted by misinformation.
What Does the Data Say?
In a study conducted by Shubham Jawale they found that digital reading had a small but significant disadvantage when compared to the physical counterparts:
The results showed that reading on screen was consistently associated with lower reading comprehension scores. The effect size of digital screens on reading was -0.21, a relatively small effect size. However, from a reading perspective, this is a pretty big effect. Delgado et al.
However, in the same study, they found that younger, elementary student’s reading comprehension actually raised slightly. If this data is to be taken at face value, this seems to indicate that the next generation of learners benefit from digital textbooks whereas the older generations present better comprehension with physical textbooks.
Which is More Effective?
The development and incorporation of technology in the classroom isn’t going anywhere, but there are clear advantages and disadvantages to physical and digital textbooks. As an online school, we incorporate both as each teacher has a preference in which type of textbook is utilized during their lessons. Ultimately, it’s hard to distinguish a clear winner, but as the world becomes more digitized, it’s important to consider what digital textbooks can do in terms of preparing students for the world after school.
That being said, if you’re interested in how our one-on-one, synchronous online classes work, I recommend inquiring today to see what we can accomplish for your student! All of our teachers are professional one-on-one teachers at our in-person private school: The Tenney School. The curriculum is exactly the same as our in-person classes, which gives you the benefit of an individualized education from the comfort and flexibility of being at home!
How This Connects to “How Learning Works”
Our approach to textbooks reflects a broader principle: learning is not optimized by novelty, but by structure. The How Learning Works series explores how sleep, repetition, cognitive load, and instructional design shape outcomes.
Physical textbooks are one part of that larger framework.
What Does the Data Say?
In a study conducted by Shubham Jawale they found that digital reading had a small but significant disadvantage when compared to the physical counterparts:
The results showed that reading on screen was consistently associated with lower reading comprehension scores. The effect size of digital screens on reading was -0.21, a relatively small effect size. However, from a reading perspective, this is a pretty big effect. Delgado et al.
However, in the same study, they found that younger, elementary student’s reading comprehension actually raised slightly. If this data is to be taken at face value, this seems to indicate that the next generation of learners benefit from digital textbooks whereas the older generations present better comprehension with physical textbooks.
Which is More Effective?
The development and incorporation of technology in the classroom isn’t going anywhere, but there are clear advantages and disadvantages to physical and digital textbooks. As an online school, we incorporate both as each teacher has a preference in which type of textbook is utilized during their lessons. Ultimately, it’s hard to distinguish a clear winner, but as the world becomes more digitized, it’s important to consider what digital textbooks can do in terms of preparing students for the world after school.
That being said, if you’re interested in how our one-on-one, synchronous online classes work, I recommend inquiring today to see what we can accomplish for your student! All of our teachers are professional one-on-one teachers at our in-person private school: The Tenney School. The curriculum is exactly the same as our in-person classes, which gives you the benefit of an individualized education from the comfort and flexibility of being at home!
