Printed vs. Digital Reading Materials A Comparison of Reading Comprehension Performance in Grade 4 English

This study compared the reading comprehension performance of Grade 4 learners using printed and digital English reading materials and examined their perceptions of both formats. A quantitative within-respondent comparative design was employed involving 60 Grade 4 learners from Tadyokong Elementary School, Ifugao, Philippines. Data were collected through Google Forms, comprising paired reading comprehension scores and eight perception statements rated on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the data. Results showed that learners obtained a slightly higher mean comprehension score using digital materials (M = 7.18, SD = 1.58) than printed materials (M = 6.95, SD = 1.77), with a mean difference of 0.23 points. However, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed no statistically significant difference between the two formats (W = 510, p = .289). Learners expressed generally positive perceptions of both formats, with digital reading receiving the highest preference rating (M = 3.90, SD = 0.82). The findings indicated that neither format demonstrated a statistically significant advantage in reading comprehension among the participating learners, despite a slight descriptive difference favoring digital materials. The study suggests that both printed and digital reading resources can be incorporated into Grade 4 English instruction, with material selection guided by learners' needs, reading objectives, and demonstrated comprehension rather than format preference alone.