Ever try to text or multitask while reading a print book? It can be done, but it’s tricky. For one thing, covers flip shut. Interpersonal Divide author and Iowa State professor Michael Bugeja knew that reading on screens amid digital distractions had degraded comprehension, retention, and the basic experience of reading. So he wanted to see if he could reverse-engineer that decline: would reading a physical book have a salutary effect? Could it disrupt the digital distraction? He decided to test that theory in his Tech & Social Change class. The outcome of that experiment was the basis of an article “And for Extra Credit: Read a Physical Book,” published in May in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The results were illuminating, enough so that he decided to repeat the experiment this past semester. A version of this article appeared on Bugeja’s blog, Interpersonal-Divide.org. —ML

Do students really read books anymore and, if so, do they do so online? When was the last time they read a print book? What if students were awarded 25 extra credit points if they brought a print book to class, for verification purposes, and then sent a response about the experience? Students could choose any book on technology, philosophy, and/or social change. For convenience, a bibliography of select, relevant titles was provided to help facilitate selection. That was the assignment, and students readily took advantage of it, only to experience the transformative power of print books.

The vast majority of students struggled with their phones’ insistent pinging to such extent that some shut off their devices and even headed to the campus library—the book’s symbolic home—for the necessary quiet to comprehend the book’s contents. The vast majority of the class rediscovered their love of reading as well as comprehending, perhaps for the first time, how much time they were wasting on phones—texting, browsing, tweeting, etc.—and the consequences of “digital attention deficit disorder.” In sum, they were empowered by focus.

In Spring 2019, the second time the assignment was offered, students were asked to write a response to this question: “Describe how you felt reading a print edition of the book you selected for this assignment.” After sending their responses about reading a print book, students were asked if their comments could be shared in this article. All agreed. Names have been withheld to protect privacy.

EXCERPTS FROM RESPONSES
While student responses in Spring 2019 largely mirrored those of the preceding class, the latest experiment gave new insight into how students and, in one case, a parent, had to cope with pinging phones.

“Within five minutes of reading my phone was ringing from text messages from my friends but I ignored it just fine. But in a 30-minute span I can’t even count how many times my phone rang. My mom was texting me and because I did not reply she ended up calling me. I was so frustrated at that point I was almost pushed to tears.”

Another student who put the phone on silent could not concentrate on the book without having something to hold in her hand. The student found a remedy: snacking. “I probably ate way too much food because of this book. I did enjoy the break of not staring at my laptop screen.”

Two students were so angry at their Androids that they felt they were being held captive. “I was so interested in the book I actually got mad that my phone kept interrupting; it’s funny I say interrupting like it could talk to me but seriously that ding distracted my reading every single time,” one wrote. Another stated: “Eventually it got to the point where I asked my roommate to hold my phone hostage for at least two hours. It’s crazy the measures that have to be taken to get your attention away from your phone. I came to the sad realization that I am in fact, addicted to my phone (shocker).”

Here are more excerpts from student anecdotes:

Disturbed: “When I first cracked open the book, I tried to listen to music at the same time since that’s what I do when completing homework assignments. After an hour on the same five pages, I realized I was going to have to treat this as a book and not as an assignment. I had to leave the comforts of my bed, remove the headphones from my ears, and put all my technology on Do Not Disturb in order to finish the book. I felt extremely proud of myself for finishing an entire book that was part of a homework assignment (mainly because I rarely ever do).”

Appetizing: “Growing up I was always an avid reader, clinging to the smells and comfortable atmosphere of the public library and the adventurous books it held inside its walls. The closer I got to college, however, the less I found myself picking up hard copy books, instead, falling to the convenience of the Kindle. As wonderful as it is to be able to pull out my phone or iPad and leisurely read on a bus, or in a dull moment, there is always something missing between the book and me. The notifications of text messages or Snapchat always covering up the words I’m trying to devour at the top of the page, hindering the reading experience. Reading a hardcover, in this experience made me realize that in order to comprehend and truly enjoy reading is achieved more than by just having words. It’s like wanting a cheeseburger and googling a picture. The idea of the burger is in front of you. You can touch it look at it, but the connect to this burger is not the same as being able to hold, touch, smell, and even eat the burger.”

Finally focused: “Wow. I can’t think of a more accurate word to summarize what it was like taking the time to pause, purposefully put down my phone and read a physical book. For the first time in a while, after reading a hardcover book, I felt a focus I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.”

Face-down phone: “During my experience reading my selected book, I found that I did have some distractions. My phone, TV, and roommate would sometimes get in the way of my focus on sitting down to read the book and comprehend the information. I would have to silence my phone and turn it face down most times I read so I wouldn’t be distracted.”