Nursing Student Perceptions of Digital Textbooks: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Digital textbooks are increasingly adopted in academic settings, driven by assumptions of student demand for technology integration.
• Limited research exists on actual student perceptions regarding the use of digital versus print textbooks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate student preferences between digital and print textbooks in a nursing research course.
• To gather empirical data on student perceptions of digital textbook adoption.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study was conducted with 123 undergraduate nursing students.
• Data collection focused on comparing student preferences for print versus digital textbook formats.

Main Results:

• The study revealed a strong preference among nursing students for print textbooks over digital formats.
• A significant majority of participants favored traditional print materials for their academic needs.

Conclusions:

• Current assumptions about student demand for digital textbooks may not align with student preferences.
• Further investigation is required to validate and generalize these findings across diverse student populations and academic disciplines.