Reading comprehension on paper, computer, and tablet in first graders: The role of comprehension monitoring

Recent meta-analyses indicated the inferiority of reading from screen compared to paper, mainly among undergraduates. Screen inferiority was linked to differences in metacognition. This study focuses on beginner readers to investigate whether the inferiority of reading from screen emerges early and is related to comprehension monitoring skills. Participants were 58 first graders (Mage=6.8 years). Text comprehension at the level of the main idea, literal and inferential information was assessed using six texts (one narrative and one descriptive text on paper, laptop, and tablet). Measures of comprehension monitoring, reading preferences, and reading skills (standardized tests) were also collected. Results from mixed models showed the superiority of main idea comprehension for descriptive texts presented on tablets and narrative text comprehension for literal and inferential information. Comprehension monitoring uniquely accounted for main idea and literal comprehension and had a greater effect on descriptive than narrative text comprehension at the inferential level. These findings inform educational practices by showing that the screen inferiority effect is not detected in beginner readers’ text comprehension. The latter is supported by metacognition, independently of the medium.