Reading in the age of digital distraction

PurposeDigital distraction is a common phenomenon in e-reading contexts, and it is worth exploring in depth from the perspectives of information (digital content), users (readers) and technology (digital reading medium). Since screen reading has close links with multitasking and potential distraction, any investigation of reading in the digital environment must factor in this reality. This paper aims to investigate the extent and effects of digital distraction while reading on screens. Special emphases go to exploring multitasking while reading.Design/methodology/approachSurvey and analysis methods are employed.FindingsThe extent of digital distraction among college students it found is alarming. All the top four sources of distraction are communication-based activities. Female students tend to concentrate more than males when they read on screens. An overwhelming majority of participants choose to read in print to reduce distractions and to concentrate effectively. Screen reading is inherently distracting, primarily due to multitasking. It appears that repeated multitasking during academic endeavors carries substantial costs.Originality/valueImplications of digital distraction are discussed, and directions of future research are suggested.

A parameter guide for developing webcomics focused on small screen reading

There is a noticeable gap in academic studies between comic books and hypermedia. On the one hand, are found several publications on both printed and digital comic books. On the other hand, are publications aimed at media and technologies for content usability for small screen devices. Therefore, this study focuses on the development of comic books for small screen device reading. A parameter guide for the so-called Webtoons was developed, based on theoretical foundation, observation of webcomics in this style on content platforms, and 3 phases of qualitative field research. The research included interviews with comic artists, comic book professionals, and, seeking successive refinement, the guide's presentation to students as educational material.

EFL Students’ Personalized Reading Experiences and its Influence on Engagement and Online Presences

These days, screen reading has been widely adopted and discussed by school teachers and researchers. However, few studies have been conducted to formally evaluate the effectiveness of screen reading in improving EFL students’ English reading comprehension, not to mention investigating the factors affecting their reading comprehension outcomes. In this study, a personalized electronic reading approach was proposed for an EFL reading comprehension course; moreover, a learning analytics approach was used to analyze factors affecting the students’ personalized reading comprehension outcomes. A 14-week research design was implemented with the online personalized reading approach using Microsoft Teams as the platform for facilitating and recording peer-to-peer interactions during the screen reading process. In addition, the STUDENTS’ perceptions were surveyed at the end of the 14 weeks. The results show that the experimental group was more engaged and motivated with the use of a personalized e-book reading program and that the group with personalized feedback showed more interaction according to learning analytics data which was collected through the LMS.

Progression of myopia in a natural cohort of Chinese children during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose To determine myopia progression in children during the COVID-19 and the related factors associated with myopia. Methods All subjects underwent three-timepoint ocular examinations that were measured in July 2019, January, and August 2020. We compared the changes in uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), mydriatic spherical equivalent (SE), and axial length (AL) between two periods (before and during COVID-19). A questionnaire was performed to investigate risk factors for myopia. Results Compared with before the COVID-19, the mean (S.D.) myopia progression during the COVID-19 was significantly higher in right eyes (− 0.93 (0.65) vs. − 0.33 (0.47) D; p < 0.001). However, the differences in UCVA changes and the axial elongation between two periods were clinically insignificant. Through logistic regressive analysis, we found the difference of the SE changes was associated with the baseline AL (P = 0.028; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.058, 2.632), online education (P = 0.02; 95% CI, 1.587, 8.665), and time of digital screen (p < 0.005; 95% CI, 1.587, 4.450). Conclusions Children were at higher risk of myopia progression during COVID-19, which was associated with the baseline AL, the longtime online learning, and digital screen reading.

LECTURA PE ECRAN ŞI APROFUNDAREA SURSELOR: OCAZII DE ÎNVĂŢARE ONLINE PRIN VALORIFICAREA MATERIALELOR PISA

The paper highlights the results of PISA in reading literacy as well as the new computer-based released items published by OECD. Screen reading allows – and challenges for – rapid access towards several texts. In order to get informed and mainly for quality learning it is crucial to identify the source and its quality. In this context, the research question that our study refers to is the following: How do we prepare students to deepen the multiple text and to identify credible information? Our investigation targets a group of 95 students in grades 8 and 9 from four schools located in two big cities, one of them being a technological high school. The students went through one of the reading units in the anthology published by PISA OECD (Galapagos) which requires reading several texts, from different sources, viewed on the screen, in order to answer comprehension questions which focus processes of different complexity. Depending on the difficulties of the students and the problems they have with various issues related to the credibility of the sources, the article indicates solutions to improve learning by the innovation of reading practices in the class. The conclusion of the article shows the need for change in the selection and approach of information texts in order to prepare young people for in-depth reading in a world where learning and documentation take place mainly through the screen.

Performances of automated digital imaging of Gram-stained slides with on-screen reading against manual microscopy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performances of the automated digital imaging of Gram-stained slides against manual microscopy. Four hundred forty-three identified Gram-stained slides were included in this study. When both methods agreed, we considered the results as correct, and no further examination was carried out. Whenever the methods gave discrepant results, we reviewed the digital images and the glass slides by manual microscopy to avoid incorrectly read smears. The final result was a consensus of multiple independent reader interpretations. Among the 443 slides analyzed in this study, 101 (22.8%) showed discrepant results between the compared methods. The rates of discrepant results according to the specimen types were 5.7% (9/157) for positive blood cultures, 42% (60/142) for respiratory tract specimens, and 22% (32/144) for sterile site specimens. After a subsequent review of the discrepant slides, the final rate of discrepancies dropped to 7.0% (31/443). The overall agreement between the compared methods and the culture results reached 78% (345/443) and 79% (349/443) for manual microscopy and automated digital imaging, respectively. According to culture results, the specificity for automated digital imaging and manual microscopy were 90.8% and 87.7% respectively. In contrast, sensitivity was 84.1% for the two compared methods. The discrepant results were mostly encountered with microorganism morphologies of rare occurrence. The results reported in this study emphasize that on-screen reading is challenging, since the recognition of morphologies on-screen can appear different as compared to routine manual microscopy. Monitoring of Gram stain errors, which is facilitated by automated digital imaging, remains crucial for the quality control of reported Gram stain results.