Study Shows College Kids Want Their Textbooks Printed

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Jan 03 – Jan 09, 2011 Edition Study Shows College Kids Want Their Textbooks Printed

New York, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/January 6, 2011 – Despite their fondness for social networking and cell phones, most college students say they prefer textbooks in printed rather than e-text form. Nearly 75% of students to recently respond to a major new research survey from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) said they prefer printed texts, citing a fondness for print’s look and feel, as well as its permanence and ability to be resold.

This finding was among many uncovered in BISG’s inaugural survey entitled Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education. The ongoing survey focuses on college student perceptions related to educational content and presentation media in the higher education market. It is powered by Bowker’s PubTrack data, the publishing industry’s exclusive resource for understanding buying behavior.

“Research studies like Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education enable informed decision-making,” said Scott Lubeck, BISG’s Executive Director. “College students are an exceptionally dynamic demographic, making the technology transformation underway within the higher ed market very hard to plot. Our ongoing survey of student attitudes will help everyone in the publishing business make sense of this changing market place by providing hard data on the impact of habits and preferences.”

Although not the preferred textbook form for most college students, further data from the survey shows that e-texts do have fans. About 12% of the students surveyed — mostly males, and often MBA-seeking or distance learners — said they prefer e-texts to printed texts because of their lower cost, convenience and portability. In addition, online supplemental materials received favor from these respondents as well. Particularly online quizzes that tests students’ understanding of a text’s content and prepares them for exams.

The majority of survey respondents (60%) said they place high value on core textbooks — whether printed or electronic — most of which continue to be purchased at the college bookstore (65%). Online purchasing is growing, however. For example, one-fifth of students said they purchased textbooks from Amazon.com. Finally, perhaps because of rising purchase prices, renting a textbook — rather than purchasing or downloading — was preferred by 11% of surveyed students.

Additional findings include:

Students love a bargain. Survey respondents said they often buy previous editions of a textbook (16% did this for their current class ) or international versions (18% did this at least once). Piracy is pervasive. More than 40% of survey respondents said they bought a textbook from a pirate website, or know others who have. In addition, many respondents reported copying their friends’ textbooks. Some learning tools have high value. Print study guides, Campus Learning Management Systems — such as Blackboard and WebCT — and diagnostic self-tests held high value for survey respondents. And some learning tools have low value. Online tutoring, audio study guides and “clickers” used in the classroom by instructors held low value for survey respondents.

Data from this benchmark survey will be presented at BISG’s February 9, 2011 event: What College Students Think: Making Information Pay for Higher Ed Publishing. Early bird registration for this inaugural publishing industry event has been extended until Friday, January 14, 2011. More information, and a link to registration, is available at http://www.bisg.org/events-0-615-mip-for-higher-ed-publishing.php.

“As with every part of the publishing industry, the college textbook market is undergoing exponential change,” said Kelly Gallagher, Vice President of Publishing Services at Bowker. “Trying to keep up with, let alone stay ahead of what students expect and need related to an enriched learning experience will continue to pay big dividends to those taking the time to understand this ever changing market.”

The findings from Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education come from a semi-annual online survey of college students, drawn from a nationally representative panel. To ensure the survey questions explored the appropriate trends and issues, they were developed in partnership with a variety of publishers and other companies working in the higher ed market place. In addition to the core question set, survey sponsors and other interested parties can submit proprietary questions to supplement the core fieldings. Those interested in submitting proprietary questions should contact Angela Bole in the BISG office at 646-336-7141 x13 or angela@bisg.org.

Survey findings are available for sale both as a PDF summary report and as a complete data compendium, accessible online. A substantial discount is available for BISG members. For more information, or to order a copy of Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education, visit http://www.bisg.org/publications/product.php?p=22&c=437.

Media Contact: Angela Bole Book Industry Study Group, Inc. angela@bisg.org

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About Book Industry Study Group, Inc.

The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. book industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered and efficient book industry supply chain for both physical and digital products. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For over 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community. Learn more about BISG at www.bisg.org.

About Bowker

Bowker is the world’s leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers and libraries better serve their customers. The company is focused on developing various tools and products that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order and experience, as well as providing services to publishers that help them better understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker is a member of the ProQuest family of companies and is headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with additional operations in England and Australia. For more information, visit www.bowker.com.