1. E-book and e-
textbook adoption
and perception
Mathieu Plourde
Ed. D. in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Technology
EDUC846 – Spring 2012
http://bit.ly/plourde-educ846

2. Why does it matter?
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
2
perception - Plourde - May 2012

3. Credit: Ian Wescott on Flickr.com
No one types this way anymore
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
3
perception - Plourde - May 2012

4. No one listens to music this way
anymore
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
4
Credit: Rockheim on Flickr.com

5. No one watches movies this way
anymore
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
5
Credit: Bobby P. on Flickr.com

6. Less and less people read this
way
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
6
Credit: Zepfanman.com on Flickr.com

7. “E-book versions of the top six books
outsold the print versions last week.
And of the top 50, 19 had higher e-book
than print sales.
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
It's the first time the top-50 list has had
more than two titles in which the e-
version outsold print.”
7
- USA Today.com, January 5, 2011

8. Yet, in a technology-rich
environment
• … we are still using paper textbooks.
• But time is ticking!
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
8

9. We need to shape the future!
• Confusion around e-books and e-
textbooks.
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
• Faculty and student expectations are not
currently met by publishers.
9

10. Research question
College students own many computer devices, most notably
laptops, tablets, and smartphones. I would like to investigate the
following:
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
1) What dimensions of textbook usage and form are critical to UD
undergraduate students' academic success?
2) Considering these dimensions, to what degree do UD
undergraduate students think e-textbooks are a valid alternative
to paper textbooks?
3) At what price point and ownership condition (full ownership of
the file, protected file, digital rental) would UD undergraduate 10
students consider switching to digital textbooks?

11. Survey instrument
• Potentially 83 answers required.
• Built on dimensions found in my annotated
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
bibliography and personal experience.
• Mostly multiple choice, Likert scale.
• Three open questions.
• Tried to mimic questions and style of the 2012
ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students
and Information Technology.
• Developed on Qualtrics. 11

12. Survey design
Qualifying Paper vs e- Self-
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
questions textbook perception
Book reading E-textbook
Demographic
habits scenarios
Textbook Computer
usage habits devices 12

13. Sample
• Convenience sample:
• 2 classes of undergraduate students.
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
• Communication classes.
• Total potential population: 88.
• Pilot for a potential larger survey.
13

14. Response rate
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
30
Completed and over 18
39
Under 18
Not completed
No response
2
17
14

15. perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
15
Source: Johnson & Christensen. Educational research, fourth edition. Figure 9.4, p. 234.

16. Next steps
• Identify dimensions to compare.
• Chi-square analysis to determine statistical
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
difference (unlikely to be an option).
• Eyeballing and frequencies.
16

17. Overview of the data
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
17
perception - Plourde - May 2012

18. Chi-square test
ever.
cases in every box,
Unlikely to ever get 5
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
18
perception - Plourde - May 2012

19. Main challenge
• Used quantitative survey for exploratory
research (Johnson and Christensen, 2012, p. 33).
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
• Dimension inflation made the survey a little
too long.
• Completion rate less than half of what I would
have needed to get a representative sample at
a 95% level, despite a $25 gift certificate
drawing incentive.
19

20. More to explore…
• The end of the textbook as a format?
• Smaller chunks.
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
• Access to primary content.
• Impact of multimedia?
• Open educational resources and open
textbooks as drivers for affordability.
20

21. Thank you!
• Mathieu Plourde
Ed. D. in Educational Leadership Candidate
Educational Technologist, LMS Project Leader
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
IT Client Support & Services
mathieu@udel.edu
• http://mathplourde.wordpress.com
• Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare, Diigo, Delicious: mathplourde
• Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+: Mathieu Plourde
21
http://bit.ly/plourde-educ846

22. References
EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. (2012). Reference
Materials for ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and
Information Technology. EDUCAUSE Website. Retrieved May
perception - Plourde - May 2012
E-book and e-textbook adoption and
1, 2012, from
http://www.educause.edu/ECAR/Reference/StudentStudy?b
hcp=1
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. B. (2012). Educational research :
quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
Minzesheimer, B., & Memmott, C. (2011, January 5). Week after
holidays, e-book sales outdo print. USATODAY.com. Retrieved
May 1, 2012, from
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2011-01-05-
1Aebooksales05_ST_N.htm 22