Study of Ebooks and Books

September 4, 2013

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

I. Background of the Study

For several years, printed books have been part of our lives as an educational tool. Most especially for students, carrying books can be really a burden, and sometimes books can be costly too. So to address this problem, some schools embraced the way on how technology can help students learn more with convenience. Electronic books, also known as eBooks, have been providing and changing the way students learn since its birth.

An eBook, as defined by SearchMobileComputing.com, is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer or by using an eBook reader like tablets or mobile phones. Some researchers even foresee that eBooks will gain wide spread as an educational device. Electronic books promises to bring ease to students, since it is an inexpensive yet a highly functional portable reading device, it provides an increasing number of available book titles and it can be a tool for distant learning. However, is this enough to replace printed books when it comes to grasping knowledge?

Studies regarding the usefulness and usability of eBooks were conducted by different researchers around the globe since the rise of it. A study in The Chinese University in Hong Kong was conducted to ask the students’ opinion in using eBooks. According to this research study, eBooks received a lot of negative opinions from its subjects. They considered eBooks to be a technology still in a developmental phase.

Another study was conducted in United States of America still concerning in eBook versus books. Some of the key findings of the said study were (1) people prefer e-books to printed books when they want speedy access and portability, (2) those who own e-book reading devices stand out from other book readers and there are sometimes differences among device owners in their reading habits, and (3) device owners read more often and more likely to buy books....