E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

E-Books: Is it all about Cost?

Jerry D. Breckon
California State University, Fullerton

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

Abstract
As the cost of tuition and books continue to rise at schools and universities across the nation,
many institutions are encouraging the use of e-books to help reduce student costs. This literature
review explores that assumption and related issues of e-books such as convenience and storage,
e-reader devices, student preference for e-books or analog books, and e-books impact on the
learning process. As 21st Century Learners enter our schools and institutions of higher learning it
behooves school and university administrators, librarians, parents, faculty, and students to fully
understand this relatively new phenomenon on the education field. Furthermore this literature
review calls for continued product innovation, scientific research, and a revisiting of past
research to determine the feasibility, practicability, and overall value of the e-book in the learning
process.

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

E-Books: Is it all about Cost?

The California State University System launched its Affordable Learning Solutions
Program in 2010. In conjunction with the launch of this program, California State University,
San Marcos started the Cougars Affordable Learning Materials Project (CALM). The purpose
behind both programs is to lower the cost of student textbooks by providing alternative solutions.
Those solutions may come from several different resources such as Open Educational Resources
(OER), campus library materials, digital or customized textbooks, and/or faculty authored
materials.
The focus of this literature review is not on the overall cost savings of the programs,
which is not in dispute, but on the digital textbook (e-book) as an alternative learning source for
the student. Granted, the programs will ultimately save students money when purchasing their
textbooks; however, at what expense to the learning process? There is a great deal of research
(e.g., Martinez-Estrada & Conaway, 2012; Muir & Hawes, 2013) as to the benefits of e-books vs.
analog books. It is believed, however, that the evidence is inconclusive. What the research does
point out is e-books are here to stay. In addition, the research proposes that with proper educator
training, improvement in student learning skills, and advancements in e-reader devices; e-books
will enjoy a long and prosperous future.
This literature review is organized around e-books as an alternative learning source for
the student. The review explores both the pros and cons of e-books vs. analog books, and which,
if any, enhances the student learning process. Articles for the literature review were searched for
using the Pollak Library digital databases (such as, ERIC and EBSCO) at California State
University, Fullerton. Only peer reviewed academic journals from the years 2010 to 2015 were
searched. The keywords used in the search were e-books vs. print books, e-books, e-books vs.

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

textbooks, e-books and the learning process, e-books in the classroom, e-books and higher
education, and e-books or e-textbooks.
E-Book Convenience and Storage
Two of the major advantages concerning e-books over analog books are that of
convenience and storage. As distance education programs continue to grow at universities the
importance of having a viable resource of e-books readily available from campus libraries grows
with it (Cassidy, Martinez & Shen, 2012). Distance education students, and university students in
general, want the convenience of 24/7 accesses to campus library materials for the purpose of
academic studies and research. Traditional campus libraries find it almost impossible to meet the
ever-increasing demand for such 24/7 accesses, except through the use of online resources.
Todays university students can now have access to an abundance of online resources such as
journal articles, newspaper articles, and e-books thanks to advancements in online technology.
Thus making access to academic material truly convenient for traditional students and especially
for distance learners.
As university libraries face physical storage capacity issues, shelf-space issues,
environmental concerns, and current trends in publishing, the pressure for libraries to make the
switch from analog books to e-books continues to grow (Corlett-Rivera & Hackman, 2014). Ebooks require significantly less space for storage converting volumes of analog books to megabites of information that can easily be stored on computer servers ready for release upon request.
Additionally, e-books are environmentally friendly due to the fact they do not require reams of
paper in order to be utilized. All that is needed is an e-reader device in order to access the
information. e.g. computer, laptop, Ipad, tablet, smartphone, etc. Also due to the ever-increasing

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

demand for e-books (Brueck & Lenhart, 2015; Daniel & Woody, 2013; Ahmad & Brogan, 2012)
publishing trends are significantly swinging towards e-books.
E-Readers and E-Books
As the demand for e-books increases, so has the demand for more sophisticated e-reading
devices (Daniel & Woody, 2013). According to Sieche (2013) e-books and e-reader devices have
been around for over 40 years. During that time as technology advances are made changes have
taken place in the definition of just what is an e-reader device. Sieches (2013) research points
out that an e-reader device is simply an electronic device that is used to read e-books, and may
be handheld or desk-boundand includes a screen for viewing (p. 466). E-Readers come in
various brands and sizes. Some of the more popular readers are Apple Ipads, although somewhat
expensive ($269.00-$1079.00), and the Amazon Kindle ($59.99-$199.99). The advantage to the
Ipads and Kindle are that they are mobile and can be taken anywhere. They are small, lightweight, have a digital storage capacity for several e-books, and can easily be carried in a book
bag or backpack. Thus preventing the need to carry several heavier analog books (RockinsonSzapkiw, Courduff, Carter & Bennett, 2013).
As for advancements in e-books, technology has made it possible for e-books to have
hyperlinks and full-text search allowing the reader to jump from one section of the book to
another in search of key content. Newer versions of e-books provide hyperlinks to text and audio
dictionaries, videos, and information pages (Sieche, 2013; Woody, Daniel & Baker, 2010). All of
which add to the enhancement of e-books over analog books. According to Daniel and Woody
(2013) it is these enhancements and the attractiveness of lower cost, flexibility, and ease of
availability that encourage some readers to choose e-books over analog books.

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

Preference for Reading: E-Book or Analog Book

Despite the obvious technological advantages of e-books over analog books, many
readers (especially university students) prefer analog books. Current research (Ahmad & Brogan,
2012; Sieche, 2013; Woody, Daniel & Baker, 2010; Cassidy, Martinez & Shen, 2012; CorlettRivera & Hackman, 2014) indicates some of the main reasons for this phenomenon is the lack of
knowledge concerning e-books, comfort, familiarity with e-books, difficulties reading from the
display screen, eye strain, Wi-Fi access problems, and the overriding preference for a real
book(Gilbert & Fister, 2015, p. 478). Woody, Daniel and Baker (2010) also concluded that
students with previous experience with e-books did not increase a preference for e-books. In
addition e-book users with high levels of computer skills still preferred analog books for
learning. Further research by Sieche (2013) indicated that in all three of the following categories
books for research, textbooks, and books for leisure reading, university students still preferred
analog books to e-books.
Even with evidence showing university students having a clear preference for analog
books, the change to e-books may be involuntary for university students and students in general.
As the call to cut costs increases added pressure from the public, parents, and school
administration may indeed force an involuntary shift to e-books. With e-books costing about half
of what a new analog textbook costs, many students are opting to buy the e-book version of the
text, this is despite the fact an e-book cannot be sold back at the end of the course (Falc, 2013).
Of interest to some students are the green benefits e-books provide, such as saving trees. Another
added benefit of an e-book is the space and weight saved in the students book bag. It should be
noted that the current preference for analog books might change as 21st century learners continue
to enter the education system. This group of learners is the first group to be fully integrated with

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

technology in their lives. With them the analog book is a thing of the past and the e-book is a
thing of the future (Rockinson-Szapkiw, Courduff, Carter & Bennett, 2013).
E-Books and the Learning Process
The many advantages of e-books such as attractiveness, cost, flexibility, enhanced
reading features, and advanced technology might encourage students to switch from analog
books to e-books, but what effect, if any, does the use of e-books have on the learning process?
According to Felvegi & Matthew (2012), electronic texts are profoundly changing the
signature pedagogy of reading literacy instruction (p. 40). In order to fully comprehend the
information contained within an e-book, a whole new set of skills and strategies must be
employed. The mere fact that the new skills and strategies must be taught brings about the
changes in reading literacy pedagogy. For example, when reading a traditional analog book we
read a page from left to right and top to bottom. While reading the page we are processing and
comprehending (hopefully) the information contained on the page. Once we are done with the
page we turn to the next page and the process continues. Not so with an e-book. First of all to
change pages we swipe with our fingers the digital page from side-to-side, or simply scroll up or
down to change the page. While reading the page we may encounter hyperlinks that take us to
related videos, graphics, or a glossary of terms. These navigation skills and strategies have to be
taught before the reader can fully comprehend the information on an e-page. The need for
teaching these skills becomes the responsibility of the instructor. Thus changing the literacy
pedagogy, and the very act of reading itself (Felvegi & Matthew, 2012; Martinez-Estrada &
Conaway, 2012).
Further research has indicated little difference in academic performance based on the use
of e-books over analog books, or vise-versa (Woody, Daniel & Baker, 2010; Dwyer & Davidson,

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

2013; Sieche, 2013; Falc, 2013). Each mode of providing information has advantages and
disadvantages. No one mode stood out as the clear winner in improving academic achievement.
Overall current research indicates it is the individual readers preference that is the deciding
factor, and to date the preference leans towards analog books (Woody, Daniel & Baker, 2010;
Dwyer & Davidson, 2013; Sieche, 2013; Falc, 2013).
Summary
The results of this literature review clearly show a preference by readers for analog
books. Yet, as student costs in tuition and books continue to rise e-books will become more and
more attractive. As of now there is no definitive study showing an academic advantage of one
mode of book over the other. What research does show is the method of integrating e-books into
the learning process will require a change in reading literacy pedagogy as new skills and
strategies must be taught.
There are several areas where innovation and future research is warranted. Publishers of
e-books and manufacturers of e-readers need to work in concert with educators, librarians, and
students to produce products that meet the needs of 21st Century learners. Future research needs
to focus on developing reading literacy pedagogy that enhances the skills and strategies of 21st
Century learners and educators. Finally, past research and studies should be revisited and
experiments conducted to determine what changes have taken place over the last few years.
Change is inevitable and when technology is involved the change happens at a rapid pace. It
would not be surprising to see a reversing trend towards e-books vs. analog books as more and
more 21st Century learners entire our schools and institutions of higher learning.

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

References
Ahmad, P., & Brogan, M. (2012). Scholarly use of e-books in a virtual academic environment a
case study. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 43(3), 189-213.
Brueck, J. S., & Lenhart, L. A. (2015). E-books and TPACK: What teachers need to know. The
Reading Teacher, 68(5), 373-376.
Cassidy, E. D., Martinez, M., & Shen, L. (2012). Not in love, or not in the know? Graduate
student and faculty use (and non-use) of e-books. The Journal of Academic
Librarianship, 38(6), 326-332.
Corlett-Rivera, K., & Hackman, T. (2014). E-book use and attitudes in the humanities, social
sciences, and education. Libraries and the Academy, 14(2), 255-286.
Daniel, D. B., & Woody, W. D. (2013). E-textbooks at what cost? Performance and use of
electronic v. print texts. Computers & Education, 62, 18-23.
Dwyer, K. K., & Davidson, M. M. (2013). General education oral communication assessment
and student preferences for learning: E-textbook versus paper textbook. Communication
Teacher, 27(2), 111-125.
Felvegi, E., & Matthew, K. I. (2012). Ebooks and literacy in K-12 schools. Computers in the
Schools, 29, 40-52.
Gilbert, J., & Fister, B. (2015). The perceived impact of e-books on student reading practices: A
local study. College & Research Libraries, May, 469-489.
Martinez-Estrada, P. D., & Conaway, R. N. (2012). Ebooks: The next step in educational
innovation. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(2), 125-135.
Muir, L., & Hawes, G. (2013). The case for e-book literacy: Undergraduate students experience
with e-books for course work. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39, 260-274.

E-BOOKS: IS IT ALL ABOUT COST?

Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J., Courduff, J., Carter, K., & Bennett D. (2013). Electronic versus
traditional print textbooks: A comparison study on the influence of university students
learning. Computers & Education, 63, 259-266.
Sieche, S. (2013). Investigating students usage and acceptance of electronic books. Journal of
Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 22(4), 465-487.
Woody, W. E., Daniel, D. B., & Baker, C. A. (2010). E-books or textbooks: Students prefer
textbooks. Computers & Education, 55, 945-948.

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