Electronic or Printed Books: ESL learners’ Preferences at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

ESL learners have different preferences for reading materials. Some of the learners prefer to read printed material while others are comfortable with the electronic or digital books. The current study aims to find out the preferences of ESL learners regarding printed or electronic course material. It further attempts to investigate the reasons behind such preferences. The data for the study have been collected from 105 ESL learners using survey questionnaire and conducting semi-structured interviews of 15 ESL learners of the department of English, the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The data have been analyzed using pie-charts, thematic analysis and categorization. The findings reveal that majority of the participants prefer to read printed books because of their convenience, durability, longevity, better understanding, tangible and enjoyable reading experience. Electronic books are preferred by a small number of learners for their portability, low cost, easy access and availability.