Electronic or printed books for reading: The preferences of tertiary-level students in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study deals with the preferences of electronic or printed books for reading by tertiary-level students in Bangladesh. The development of ICT has significantly influenced students’ reading habits with electronic books. Given this context, this study aims at explaining the preferences of tertiary-level students’ reading habits for electronic or traditional books in the context of Bangladesh. This study is important for understanding the contributions of electronic books in the educational field of Bangladesh. The researcher followed mixed methods for this study. The researcher took semi-structured interviews with the participants all from the public and private universities of Bangladesh and also did a questionnaire survey. Moreover, both electronic and printed books have merits as well as demerits. However, findings inform us that young students tend to use e-books more than printed books. Students suffering from health problems use printed books more. On the contrary, more students use e-books as it can be read anytime, anywhere. Based on the findings, , the researcher argues that e-books have not completely taken over the place of printed books yet. However, the use of technology has been increasing in the academic as well as professional fields of Bangladesh. Finally, some recommendations have been proposed in light of the research findings.