A think-aloud study: Exploring the effects of digital vs. print comics on reading efficiency and comprehension

Numerous researches support the widely accepted notion that the reading experience between digital and printed literature differs. This study intends to investigate if this applies to reading comic books and to assess any differences in learning comprehension. The research methodology includes a systematic literature review to frame research questions. Followed by a 'think-aloud protocol' experiment to answer the identified research questions. The experiment was conducted using a within-subject design with convenience sampling of 15 high school students to map their reading experience. It has produced data in the form of time taken for the reading, switching areas of interest, and repetition of words on the computer screen and print. The collected data was further analysed using a paired sample T-test, and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. The results indicated that off-screen reading exhibited a significant advantage over on-screen reading in terms of reading time. The study observed that readers took longer to switch between areas of interest on a computer screen compared to print, which further supports the belief of slower comprehension on screen. Furthermore, over 72% of the respondents reported encountering word repetition on screen in comparison to print media. The key contribution of this research is providing a novel approach for studying user responses through the think-aloud protocol experiment, which helps map the users' verbal psychological responses. At the same time, the study has a limited sample size as a constraint pertaining to considering the study for generalizability. This research emphasizes the importance of conducting studies involving verbal psychological responses alongside eye-tracking. This combination provides valuable insights into reader comprehension and aids in the development of tailored graphical interfaces for digital comic reading.