Over the last few years, schools and institutions around the globe have made drastic changes to their curriculums and policies in order to cut down on their use of paper. Whether it is a textbook, a stapled packet or just a single sheet of paper, schools have felt the need to digitize their material, making information available online rather than on a tangible paper copy.
Many people are in favor of this change, saying that the decrease in paper products benefits the environment. That is true— a decrease in the need for paper products saves trees from being constantly cut down, lessens the amount of trash going into landfills, and reduces air and water pollution.
However, contrary to popular belief, using less paper directly impacts the student, and it is proven that learning through a screen using e-textbooks and online readings is less beneficial than the traditional way of learning. Because of this, schools and institutions around the world should never go completely “paperless.”
According to a published article by the Association for Learning Technology, colleges around the country are opting to use more online sources in order to make information easier to access for students. That authors also explains many tests that were run on different groups of people, all of which produced the same results: print-based texts are more efficient and useful than digital texts.
It was proven that students who used paper copies of material to study for a quiz overall garnered a higher score than those who studied using digital sources. “An overwhelming number of studies reviewed suggested that print-based texts contributed more to increased comprehension and recall than e-texts” (Ross, Pechenkina, Aeschliman, Chase, 3). If students are clearly performing better when exposed to print text rather than online sources, institutions should not ditch their use of print text.
In addition, not only are students performing better after accessing print text, but they are physically affected more by reading from a screen. “Eye fatigue and strain reported by students was greater when reading e-texts… decreased concentration caused by eye fatigue can be a barrier to successful e-text-based learning, as screens can strain the eyes and cause headaches” (Ross, Pechenkina, Aeschliman, Chase, 3). Students are experiencing physical discomfort when exposed to online text, which shouldn’t be expected of a child who is just trying to do their homework.
I wanted to do some research of my own to help support my claim. I ran a poll on my Twitter page, which both high school and college students are exposed to. Out of 119 votes, 80% of voters prefer to read print text/paper sources, while the remaining 20% prefer to read online/digital sources. This supports the idea that paperless classrooms would not be effective.
There are ways to reduce the amount of paper being used, like printing material on both sides of the page rather than just a single side, or filling up an entire notebook page before moving onto a new sheet. Students should be encouraged to keep their old worksheets to use as scrap paper for class work or to use the back of an older sheet of homework for that night’s homework.
Overall, the use of print text is more educationally beneficial to the student. It has been tested time and time again, and every time the results were consistent. Students learn better when they read information from paper rather than from a screen due to increased comprehension, and they are more likely to remember what they read. Because of this, the use of paper products should never be completely terminated from an educational setting.
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