Pupils’ Use of Time While Reading Comics and Books 1

Participants were 42 pupils in grade 3 who read either comics or books under free-reading conditions for 20 minutes a day over a 10-week period. Time-on-task and time-on-reading were observed during this reading period. Initial reading attitude was positively related to time spent on-task while reading books. Initial reading comprehension was positively associated with both time-on-task and time-on-reading while reading comics. Less time was spent on-reading with comics than with books. This was particularly true for poor readers. Poor readers gained more on reading comprehension with books than they did with comics. Hypotheses were posed and results were discussed in the framework of the general issue of time and its relation to learning.