Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2011 Digital course materials: a case study of the Apple iPad in the academic environment Michael H. Bush Andrea H. Cameron Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Bush, Michael H. and Cameron, Andrea H., "Digital course materials: a case study of the Apple iPad in the academic environment" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 133. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/133 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology DIGITAL COURSE MATERIALS: A CASE STUDY OF THE APPLE IPAD IN THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Technology by Michael H. Bush and Andrea H. Cameron May, 2011 Ray Gen, Ed.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Michael H. Bush and Andrea H. Cameron under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Ray Gen, Ed.D., Chairperson Paul Sparks, Ph.D. John Garofano, Ph.D. © Copyright by Michael H. Bush and Andrea H. Cameron (2011) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ix VITA: MICHAEL H. BUSH ................................................................................................. x VITA: ANDREA H. CAMERON ....................................................................................... xiii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xvi Chapter 1: The Problem .................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Background and Context ....................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................ 5 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions ................................................... 5 Research Design Overview ................................................................................... 6 Assumptions .......................................................................................................... 6 Researchers’ Background ..................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 8 Definitions of Key Terminology Used in This Study .............................................. 8 Summary ............................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review .......................................................................................... 12 Overview ............................................................................................................. 12 History of Literary Technology ............................................................................. 12 Diffusion of Innovation Theory ............................................................................. 16 Development of the E-reader and E-book Market ............................................... 17 Comparison of Print Text to Digital Text .............................................................. 22 Deep Reading and Distraction ............................................................................ 29 Comparative Features of E-Readers ................................................................... 32 E-reader Research in the Academic Environment .............................................. 35 Current Types of E-readers ................................................................................. 39 iPad Incorporated into Higher Education ............................................................. 47 Usability ............................................................................................................... 50 Summary ............................................................................................................. 53 Chapter 3: Methodology .................................................................................................. 55 Overview ............................................................................................................. 55 Rationale for Qualitative Case Study Method ..................................................... 56 Research Questions and Propositions ................................................................ 58 v Data Collection Methods ..................................................................................... 61 Methods for Data Analysis and Synthesis ........................................................... 66 Design Considerations ........................................................................................ 68 Summary ............................................................................................................. 70 Chapter 4: Results .......................................................................................................... 71 Overview ............................................................................................................. 71 Case Study Context ............................................................................................ 72 Introductory Data and Demographics .................................................................. 75 Research Findings .............................................................................................. 78 Summary ........................................................................................................... 102 Chapter 5: Analysis, Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................... 103 Overview ........................................................................................................... 103 Analysis ............................................................................................................. 104 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 132 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 135 Researcher Reflections ..................................................................................... 137 Research Summary ........................................................................................... 138 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 139 APPENDIX A: Photograph of the iPad and Various Screenshots of iAnnotate Functions ............................................................................................................... 145 APPENDIX B: Student Survey ...................................................................................... 148 APPENDIX C: Verbal Statement to Students ............................................................... 158 APPENDIX D: Student Consent Form .......................................................................... 159 APPENDIX E: Initial Letter for Student Focus Group Members .................................... 161 APPENDIX F: Reminder Letter for Student Focus Group Members ............................. 162 APPENDIX G: Student Focus Group Schedule ............................................................ 163 APPENDIX H: Focus Group Note Sheet ....................................................................... 166 APPENDIX I: Faculty Interview Schedule ..................................................................... 169 APPENDIX J: Invitation Letter for Faculty ..................................................................... 171 APPENDIX K: Faculty Consent Form ........................................................................... 172 APPENDIX L: Thank You Letter for Faculty Interview .................................................. 174 APPENDIX M: Student Survey with Results ................................................................. 175 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Comparison of E-Reader Devices .................................................................... 40 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. US Trade wholesale electronic book sales ...................................................... 19 Figure