Survey concerning electronic textbooks: Assessing student behavior and environmental considerations

A survey of students in different undergraduate majors and years asked where they bought their textbooks, the types of electronic devices they used, and their post-class use of textbook material. The research goal was to determine the groups of students likely most receptive to e-textbooks and to assess the potential environmental benefits of e-textbook adoption. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The student population of freshmen and juniors registered at Michigan State University were surveyed via e-mail/online in summer 2010. 477 freshmen (7.8 percent of surveyed) and 652 juniors (10.2 percent of surveyed) responded. Responses were grouped together into seven categories by student major.

Surveyed students used far more print textbooks than e-textbooks. Laptops were the dominant student device and their future promise for e-textbook use is limited. The higher-than-expected rate of e-waste generation by students indicates that the environmental benefits of e-textbook adoption may be limited without improvements in e-waste management. However, results suggest that students from all majors and years were willing to experiment with different textbook vendors, so if functionality and cost incentives are improved, e-textbook adoption will likely be a widespread campus phenomenon.

Research on e-textbooks often focuses on educational value or student preference; this research instead provides results assessing whether current e-device use on campus will support e-textbooks and whether adopting e-textbooks will have an environmental benefit over print textbooks. The study also reveals that many students learn to adapt their purchasing behavior with experience, and that this trend is widespread throughout all majors.