Adolescent Reading Profiles: On-Paper Versus Digital

Abstract

This research seeks to gain insight into the reading preferences of adolescents as they begin secondary education. The study examined a sample of 664 students in the first year of compulsory secondary education (ESO) in Cádiz to determine any similarities with small samples in other national and international contexts (Spain, Chile, Poland, and Portugal). The methodology employs reading format as a dependent variable and explores its relationship with the independent variables “sex” and “love of reading.” The statistics were processed with univariate and bivariate analyses to explore preferences for reading formats, and a CHAID analysis to establish reading profiles. The results show that traditional reading formats are preferred by the most avid readers, while more infrequent readers prefer to read digitally. This information offers opportunities to devise teaching strategies that promote reading in virtual environments.