March 2023

The first of the studies generated by this project has already been published. We have analyzed data from US students in the fourth year of elementary school (fourth grade) and the second year of secondary school (eighth grade). These are data from a national assessment of performance in reading comprehension (NAEP 2017). We used data from 149,400 fourth-grade students and 144,900 eighth-grade students to predict their reading comprehension scores based on frequency of digital device use in Language Arts class, as well as specific learning activities performed with such devices. The results revealed that the overall amount of daily use of digital devices was negatively related to scores on a test of reading comprehension. However, positive relationships appeared between the use of digital devices for more comprehensive reading activities (termed "reading projects"). The negative relationship was found for activities that address specific reading skills, such as learning and practicing vocabulary.

Our publication is echoed on the web portal Leer.es of the Spanish Ministry of Education. You can access the review (in Spanish) they have made of our research at the following link: https://leer.es/herramientas-digitales-comprension-lectora

Also, the scientific article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10295-1