Comparing Brain Activation between Students who Use Digital Textbooks and Those who Use Conventional Paper Textbooks

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of digital textbooks and conventional paper textbooks on brain activation during problem solving among elementary-school students. Subjects included 54 6th grade students who used either digital textbooks or paper textbooks. We measured theta waves, alpha waves, beta waves, and gamma waves using PolyG-I (LAXTHA Inc.). We found significant effects of the textbook type for all brainwaves in the prefrontal lobes. Our results suggest that the use of digital textbooks will enhance the development of cognitive and thinking processes during learning.