Neither tablets nor printed textbooks are best for every student or every reading task. The strongest practical clue in recent research is whether reading on a tablet requires scrolling: paper showed an advantage when scrolling was needed, while paper and digital reading performed similarly when the digital text could be read without scrolling. Choose by the task, learner, and classroom conditions—not by a universal rule.
How tablets and textbooks compare for comprehension
Research does not support a blanket claim that screens always harm comprehension or that print is always superior. A 2025 network meta-analysis drawing on 56 independent samples and 79 effect sizes compared paper with computers, tablets, e-readers, and smartphones. Paper ranked highest overall; the clearer difference emerged when digital reading required scrolling. In those conditions, paper was reliably better than tablets and the other digital formats examined. When scrolling was not needed, the estimated differences were small and not reliable.
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A separate 2024 meta-analysis of 37 experimental studies found no significant overall comprehension difference between paper and digital reading, while identifying differences under particular moderating conditions. A 2024 systematic review of 88 articles on children and adolescents aged 1–17 likewise reported weak evidence for a print advantage in certain groups and tasks, alongside potential engagement and access benefits from enhanced digital media for some learners. Together, these findings point to the reading setup and student—not the format label alone—as important considerations.
What scrolling changes
For a long chapter or passage that repeatedly moves off-screen, the reader must navigate between sections rather than see the material as a stable whole. The 2025 analysis supports considering that extra navigation when choosing a format for sustained reading. If a complete passage fits on screen and can be read without scrolling, its results do not show a dependable comprehension advantage for paper.
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Why individual studies need context
A Norwegian 2024 study observed ten carefully sampled eighth-grade students reading comparable texts on paper and on a screen. It reported shallower processing and a possible comprehension hindrance on screen. That small sample is informative as one study, but it cannot establish a universal effect across students, ages, subjects, or devices.
Pros and cons of tablets and digital textbooks
Where a tablet can help
- Flexible materials: A tablet can carry digital learning materials and may support enhanced or differentiated content. Whether an interactive feature helps depends on the material and learner; interactivity by itself is not evidence of improved learning.
- Reading without scrolling: When the digital passage can be read without scrolling, the 2025 synthesis found no reliable comprehension difference from paper.
- Potential access and engagement benefits: The 2024 systematic review identified potential benefits from enhanced digital media for some learners. Check that the specific platform includes the accommodations a student needs; the review does not quantify outcomes for each feature or disability.
Where a tablet can be a drawback
- Scrolling-heavy reading: The clearest evidence-based concern is sustained digital reading that requires scrolling, where paper performed better in the 2025 synthesis.
- Competing activity: Notifications, messaging, games, and unrelated browsing may compete for attention in a device-rich setting. The device environment matters, but evidence about general device distraction should not be mistaken for proof that a digital textbook itself causes poorer learning.
Pros and cons of printed textbooks
Where print can help
- Scrolling-heavy or sustained reading: Paper had a reliable comprehension advantage over digital formats in the 2025 analysis when digital reading required scrolling.
- No device notifications: A printed book does not itself bring tablet notifications or unrelated apps into the reading session.
Where print is less flexible
- Digital features are absent by themselves: A printed textbook does not provide the same digital flexibility or enhanced media. This may matter when a learner benefits from a specific digital feature, though benefit depends on the feature and the student.
- No universal advantage: The evidence does not establish that print is always better, cheaper, more accessible, or preferred by every student.
How to choose a format for a student and task
- Identify the reading task. For a long chapter, ask whether the reader will need to scroll repeatedly. For a short reference lookup or a passage that fits on screen, the scrolling-related concern may not apply.
- Match the material to the learner. Consider age, reading skill, text type, and whether a particular digital enhancement or accommodation is useful. Findings vary across groups and tasks, so test the actual material where possible.
- Check the attention environment. Consider whether notifications, games, messaging, and unrelated browsing can be controlled during reading. OECD reported in 2024 that nearly one in three students is distracted by digital devices in class, and that three-quarters of students in OECD countries spend more than one hour per weekday browsing social networks. These figures describe the broader device environment; they do not show that digital textbooks cause distraction or poorer learning. See OECD, “Managing screen time” and OECD, “Students, digital devices and success.”
- Compare the actual total cost. Include the required device, textbook access, licenses, connectivity, repairs or replacement, and hardware the student already owns. No current like-for-like total-cost comparison across these items is established here, so do not assume either format is always cheaper.
If the main need is sustained reading in which the tablet would require scrolling, choosing the printed textbook for that course or subject is a reasonable format-based option—not proof that a particular book improves outcomes. If the digital text fits on screen or its features meet a specific learner’s needs, a tablet can be a reasonable choice too.
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What a blended approach can look like
Formats do not have to be an all-or-nothing choice. Japan’s Ministry of Education describes phased provision of learner digital textbooks, including English for grades 5–9 from fiscal year 2024, with paper textbooks available alongside them. This is an example of one country’s policy, not a global recommendation. Details are available on the Japanese Ministry of Education’s digital textbook program page.
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