Reading comprehension on handheld devices versus on paper: A narrative review and meta-analysis of the medium effect and its moderators
Salmerón and colleagues ask whether the screen inferiority effect, in which readers understand texts slightly less well on screen than in print, holds for handheld devices such as tablets. Most earlier studies used computers, whereas handheld devices give a reading experience closer to books. The article reviews literature on moderating factors and presents a narrative review and meta-analysis of reading comprehension on handheld devices compared with paper.
Salmerón and colleagues ask whether the screen inferiority effect, in which readers understand texts slightly less well on screen than in print, holds for handheld devices such as tablets. Most earlier studies used computers, whereas handheld devices give a reading experience closer to books. The article reviews literature on moderating factors and presents a narrative review and meta-analysis of reading comprehension on handheld devices compared with paper.
Written from the abstract as shown on the OpenAlex record, read 2026-11-04.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Salmerón, L., Altamura, L., Delgado, P., Karagiorgi, A., & Vargas, C. (2024). Reading comprehension on handheld devices versus on paper: A narrative review and meta-analysis of the medium effect and its moderators. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(2), 153-172. doi:10.1037/edu0000830