Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions of Digital Reading and Children’s Reading Comprehension

This study examined primary school teachers’ perceptions of digital reading in relation to children’s reading comprehension and classroom learning experiences. Data from 22 primary school teachers in North Sumatra, Indonesia, were collected quantitatively using a 15-item Likert-scale questionnaire. The findings indicate that teachers generally perceived digital reading positively, particularly in relation to student engagement and multimedia-supported understanding. Specifically, 81.8% of respondents agreed that digital media makes reading instruction more engaging, while 95.5% agreed that images and audio in digital reading materials help students’ comprehension. However, teachers’ perceptions were less consistent regarding vocabulary, concentration, memory, and story comprehension. At the same time, 72.7% of respondents agreed that students are more easily distracted when using digital devices, and 63.6% agreed that prolonged digital device use can reduce students’ concentration. From the perspective of Cognitive Load Theory, these findings suggest that digital reading may provide useful representational support while also presenting potential sources of extraneous cognitive load, particularly when digital environments contain competing or distracting elements. In addition, 81.8% of teachers agreed that digital reading should be used alongside printed books, while 90.9% agreed that teachers need the ability to use digital media in reading instruction. Because the study measured teachers’ perceptions rather than students’ reading comprehension directly, the findings should not be interpreted as evidence of a causal effect of digital reading on comprehension. Instead, they provide descriptive evidence of teachers’ perceptions regarding the potential benefits and challenges of digital reading in elementary school contexts.