Recently, electronic books (e-books) have become prevalent amongst the general population, as wel... more Recently, electronic books (e-books) have become prevalent amongst the general population, as well as students, owing to their advantages over traditional books. In South Africa, a number of schools have integrated tablets into the classroom with the promise of replacing traditional books. In order to realise the potential of e-books and their associated devices within an academic context, where reading speed and comprehension are critical for academic performance and personal growth, the effectiveness of reading from a tablet screen should be evaluated. To achieve this objective, a quasi-experimental withinsubjects design was employed in order to compare the reading speed and comprehension performance of 68 students. The results of this study indicate the majority of participants read faster on an iPad, which is in contrast to previous studies that have found reading from tablets to be slower. It was also found that comprehension scores did not differ significantly between the two media. For students, these results provide evidence that tablets and e-books are suitable tools for reading and learning, and therefore, can be used for academic work. For educators, e-books can be introduced without concern that reading performance and comprehension will be hindered.
What Kind of Information Society? Governance, …, 2010
As the requirement to use computers increases, software piracy is increasing, yet little research... more As the requirement to use computers increases, software piracy is increasing, yet little research has been conducted in South Africa to investigate the reasons why students pirate software. This paper reports on a study on the demographic factors affecting students' intention to pirate software. The study was carried out on students at the University of the Witwatersrand using questionnaires. It was found that gender and an individual's level of study had the most significant effect on intention to pirate, with academic discipline and level of household income having the least significant effect. Educational campaigns on the ethics and consequences of piracy are recommended.
Recently, electronic books (e-books) have become prevalent amongst the general population, as wel... more Recently, electronic books (e-books) have become prevalent amongst the general population, as well as students, owing to their advantages over traditional books. In South Africa, a number of schools have integrated tablets into the classroom with the promise of replacing traditional books. In order to realise the potential of e-books and their associated devices within an academic context, where reading speed and comprehension are critical for academic performance and personal growth, the effectiveness of reading from a tablet screen should be evaluated. To achieve this objective, a quasi-experimental withinsubjects design was employed in order to compare the reading speed and comprehension performance of 68 students. The results of this study indicate the majority of participants read faster on an iPad, which is in contrast to previous studies that have found reading from tablets to be slower. It was also found that comprehension scores did not differ significantly between the two media. For students, these results provide evidence that tablets and e-books are suitable tools for reading and learning, and therefore, can be used for academic work. For educators, e-books can be introduced without concern that reading performance and comprehension will be hindered.
What Kind of Information Society? Governance, …, 2010
As the requirement to use computers increases, software piracy is increasing, yet little research... more As the requirement to use computers increases, software piracy is increasing, yet little research has been conducted in South Africa to investigate the reasons why students pirate software. This paper reports on a study on the demographic factors affecting students' intention to pirate software. The study was carried out on students at the University of the Witwatersrand using questionnaires. It was found that gender and an individual's level of study had the most significant effect on intention to pirate, with academic discipline and level of household income having the least significant effect. Educational campaigns on the ethics and consequences of piracy are recommended.
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Papers by Linda Spark