Analyse des pratiques de lecture sur livres électroniques chez les étudiants universitaires

Electronic reading is taking an increasing place in the total reading space of students. Although the first e-reading systems, commonly called electronic books or ebooks, have been existing for several years, opinions about their potential still diverge. A great variety of electronic scholarly content is now offered to students, and this involves a multiplication of uses as well as a variety of reading modes. E-reading systems are now an integral part of the electronic environment to which students have access and need to be studied in greater depth. Many experiments have been conducted in public libraries and academic libraries on electronic books. Research was undertaken on their usability and the degree of readers’ satisfaction in order to improve their design. However, few studies have tackled the reading practices of scholars (in particular students) and their perceptions of these new reading systems. Our research focuses on these aspects by studying two different e-reading systems, the Tablet PC (portable device) and a Web-books system, NetLibrary (reading interface integrated into a Web navigator). Our research investigates the reading practices of students on electronic books. It is guided by three research questions : (1) students’ reading strategies (before, during and after reading), (2) elements of the e-reading system which influence (positively or negatively) the reading process, and (3) students’ perceptions of the electronic book technology and its potential contribution to their scholarly work. For this research, a mixed-method approach was chosen, using three modes of data collection : a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with students having used one e-reading system, and the capture of reading traces (annotations, highlights, etc.) left by students in the systems, after use. Respondents in our study (n=46) were students at the Université de Montréal, from three departments (Library & information sciences, Communications and Linguistics & translation). About half of them (n=21) were interviewed. Furthermore, reading traces left by students in the e-reading systems were analysed. Data from interviews and answers to open questions of the questionnaire were subjected to content analysis, while data from the closed questions of the questionnaire were summarized statistically. Our results show that, generally, the reading goal, the type and structure of the text, student’s reading practices and functionalities of the e-reading system are the elements which determine and orient the choice and use of reading strategies. Helps and barriers for the reading process were identified for each of the two e-reading systems under study. Help mostly consists in elements of the paper book metaphor in the electronic reading environment (delimited page, pagination, etc.), the integrated dictionary, and the fact that ereading systems facilitate text skimming. As for the barriers, reading instrumentation seems to affect text appropriation by the reader. Moreover, the electronic reading (eg. « on screen ») involved lack of concentration and visual tiredness, particularly with NetLibrary. Both the Tablet PC and NetLibrary were considered easy to use, although not always comfortable, discomfort with NetLibrary being more manifest. Students believe that the two e-reading systems are practical tools for their academic work, although for various reasons, specific to each reading system. Overall evaluation of the e-reading experience by respondents was judged positive for the Tablet PC, and somewhat mitigated for NetLibrary. This research contributes to the knowledge on : (1) electronic reading, in particular that of student readers, and (2) the impact of a reading system on reading effectiveness, on readers, on the achievement of a reading goal, and on reading strategies used. In addition to the limits of this study, suggestions for future research are presented.

Keyphrases: electronic reading, e-books, e-reading systems, university students, reading strategies, reading practices, readers’ perceptions, NetLibrary, Tablet PC