Both general findings and some opinions about ebooks are snipped below from our online reading survey conducted last month across the entire student body. We will be sharing more results with you in coming weeks, however we are appreciative of all the students who took the time to respond to the survey and “have a say”. Thank you for your time.
The largest group to respond was Year 9 who have been issued with tablet PCs this term. Twice as many year 9’s and year 11’s responded as any other year level.
Many more females than males responded approx. 70% females and 30% males.
76% of students wanted more opportunity to borrow books in class time, while 24% of students preferred to borrow in their own time.
66% of students would like to try reading ebooks and 34% elected not to try them.
The most popular genres students would like us to stock are: Fantasy, Gothic Fiction, Ghost, Supernatural, Action & Adventure, Crime/Mystery, Romance and relationships, Friends family & school life.
The most popular non-fiction books students would like to read more about are: True Adventure and Survival, Biographies, Social problems and issues, Concordances of facts e.g. Guinness book of records. Topics of moderate interest also included: Cooking, Health & Fitness, Popular culture and lastly war stories and sports.
Some specific authors recommended were: John Green, Isaac Marion, James Patterson, JK Rowling, Robin Hobb, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, Kathy Reich, Jodi Picoult, Nicole Pollizi, Claudia Gray, Kendra Wilkinson, Cassandra Clare, Scott Westerfield, Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, David Baldacci, Jeff Hirsch and Natalie Standiford. Jonathan Safran Foer.
To Ebook or Not to Ebook – That is the Question…
Around 50 of over 100 students who responded, added comments. In the table below, we have divided the comments about ebooks into positive and negative responses and indicated whether other students shared a similarly expressed viewpoint.
|
FOR |
AGAINST |
| I love reading and would try it out and read more books that interest me X 2 respondents | I do like reading, however I get a sense of satisfaction when reading an actual book. It’s a sense of achievement as I turn a page, one step closer towards the resolution. I also tend to get distracted when on my phone and/or tablet/computer…temptation. X 4 |
| easier to carry around, easier, you take your phone everywhere, store hundreds of books but not heavy, more convenient, esp on the bus X 15 | I like turning the pages and holding them in my hand and smelling them, real books not silly-nilly technological books X 4 |
| I enjoy reading a range of books that i find hard to find in real life. X 3 | Bad for eyes |
| I didn’t know I could read them on there/interesting X 4 | Books are better and more authentic |
| It would be easier than having to go to the library X 2 | It would be inconvenient /just don’t want to X 2 |
| Because its fun X4 | Are you going to get rid of the books? It wouldn’t be a true library? Ebooks are confusing and not all people have a smart phone, tablet or computer. It seems too modern and lazy |
| I would borrow more books and I’d have to read X 2 | Because I’m slack |
| Be good for textbooks so we don’t have to carry them round X 2 | The battery will die fast – I prefer books |
| I do already X 3 | |
| It don’t wreck the book | |
| Better to read and it’ll get more use | |
| Many people my age prefer reading a screen and it is the way forward |
If you would like to ask anything about the survey, please email us.