Why paper Bibles are best:
the definitive research
by Aaron Helman | @aaronhelman
Years ago, students stopped carrying their Bibles to church...
...and started carrying smartphones with Bibles loaded into them.
Some people argued with fervent emotion that this was a problem that needed to be solved.
Some people sought other creative ways to leverage that technology.
Me? I didn't care. I stayed out of it.
At least until I found substantive data that proves one side of the debate.
New research makes it clear: A physical Bible is a far superior tool for your students to use.
My friend Timbo over at Student Ministry Central unearthed this landmark study out of the University of Stavanger in Norway, and it was exactly the kind of research that I knew I had to share with you.
THE METHODOLOGY:
(Nerd alert. This section is technical. Feel free to skip to the results.)
Researches gathered a large group of tenth grade students and divided them into two groups. Each group had students of various reading levels and each group's average reading level was equal.
Students in both groups were given identical texts to read - a fiction piece and a non-fiction piece. The only variable in play was that students in the first group read the text from an actual book, and students from the second group read from a PDF on a screen-reader (similar to a Kindle or iPad).
Afterwards, all of the students were tested on their comprehension.
THE RESULTS:
Students who were given the physical books performed significantly better on their evaluations than those who read the PDF. The disparity was equal across the fiction and non-fiction texts.
Hang on, that's not even the best part:
Both groups were equally able to recall the texts they'd read; the difference was that students who read from the screen were much less likely to comprehend the meaning behind the words.
If you work with students, the takeaway here is clear:
The remarkable thing about this revelation is that I'm not some anti-technology fuddy-duddy trying to hammer my own Neo-Luddite agenda down your throat.
I was fully agnostic toward the entire debate until I saw the real, actual facts.
Now, with this new information, our ministry be making some subtle but meaningful changes as we move into the new year.
Students will spend more time touching Scripture.
I'm acknowledging the fact that I probably can't make every single student bring her Bible every single week. That doesn't mean we can't put them in contact with a Bible every single week.
During our teaching time, students will feel the pages of their Bible as they seek a verse instead of merely reading it on a screen.
Same goes for our small groups. Bibles everywhere!
I'm going to be praying over a stack of yellow highlighters.
Every student will get a yellow holy highlighter* and I'll encourage them to use it at home as they spend time in Scripture. After all, you can't really use a highlighter on an iPhone.
*"Holy Highlighter!" sounds like something Robin might say to Batman.
I'll encourage parents to find and display their student's Bible.
Many of my students already prefer to use their physical Bible, at least, if they can find it. I'm going to enlist the assistance of all of our parents to help find those missing Bibles and to place it somewhere conspicuous - like right in the middle of a pillow.
I will carry a Bible when I speak.
For the last six months, I've become an iPad preacher. While there's nothing wrong with that, I do want to set a physical example for students.
I probably won't do away with the iPad, but I will read Scripture from my Bible instead of from my touchscreen.
Now it's your turn!
Does this data change the way that you'll do youth ministry? I'd love to hear what might be different for you in 2014. Leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking.
I'd also love for you to share this post with a few friends, but then I always love it when you do that.
Years ago, students stopped carrying their Bibles to church......and started carrying smartphones with Bibles loaded into them.
Some people argued with fervent emotion that this was a problem that needed to be solved.
Some people sought other creative ways to leverage that technology.
Me? I didn't care. I stayed out of it.
At least until I found substantive data that proves one side of the debate.
New research makes it clear: A physical Bible is a far superior tool for your students to use.
My friend Timbo over at Student Ministry Central unearthed this landmark study out of the University of Stavanger in Norway, and it was exactly the kind of research that I knew I had to share with you.
THE METHODOLOGY:
(Nerd alert. This section is technical. Feel free to skip to the results.)
Researches gathered a large group of tenth grade students and divided them into two groups. Each group had students of various reading levels and each group's average reading level was equal.
Students in both groups were given identical texts to read - a fiction piece and a non-fiction piece. The only variable in play was that students in the first group read the text from an actual book, and students from the second group read from a PDF on a screen-reader (similar to a Kindle or iPad).
Afterwards, all of the students were tested on their comprehension.
THE RESULTS:
Students who were given the physical books performed significantly better on their evaluations than those who read the PDF. The disparity was equal across the fiction and non-fiction texts.
Hang on, that's not even the best part:
Both groups were equally able to recall the texts they'd read; the difference was that students who read from the screen were much less likely to comprehend the meaning behind the words.
If you work with students, the takeaway here is clear:
Students will comprehend the meaning of Scripture better if they read it in an actual, physical Bible.
The remarkable thing about this revelation is that I'm not some anti-technology fuddy-duddy trying to hammer my own Neo-Luddite agenda down your throat.
I was fully agnostic toward the entire debate until I saw the real, actual facts.
Now, with this new information, our ministry be making some subtle but meaningful changes as we move into the new year.
Students will spend more time touching Scripture.
I'm acknowledging the fact that I probably can't make every single student bring her Bible every single week. That doesn't mean we can't put them in contact with a Bible every single week.
During our teaching time, students will feel the pages of their Bible as they seek a verse instead of merely reading it on a screen.
Same goes for our small groups. Bibles everywhere!
I'm going to be praying over a stack of yellow highlighters.
Every student will get a yellow holy highlighter* and I'll encourage them to use it at home as they spend time in Scripture. After all, you can't really use a highlighter on an iPhone.
*"Holy Highlighter!" sounds like something Robin might say to Batman.
I'll encourage parents to find and display their student's Bible.
Many of my students already prefer to use their physical Bible, at least, if they can find it. I'm going to enlist the assistance of all of our parents to help find those missing Bibles and to place it somewhere conspicuous - like right in the middle of a pillow.
I will carry a Bible when I speak.
For the last six months, I've become an iPad preacher. While there's nothing wrong with that, I do want to set a physical example for students.
I probably won't do away with the iPad, but I will read Scripture from my Bible instead of from my touchscreen.
Now it's your turn!
Does this data change the way that you'll do youth ministry? I'd love to hear what might be different for you in 2014. Leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking.
I'd also love for you to share this post with a few friends, but then I always love it when you do that.
2 comments:
Hey Tim!
Great thoughts. I don't really do Youth Ministry (I led Young Life for 6+ years), but I think there's a larger abstracted thought here: The right tool for the right job.
In all cases, Scripture is Scripture (within the context of format, ie iPad, physical book, PDF), but not all tools are right for all jobs.
In the case where you're teaching, studying, researching, dialoguing: I don't see any reason you couldn't use both.
Physical books have workflow limitations (detailed indexing, "linking" and subject study) and make it hard to really dig into and unlock references and context. I think having a digital version available during study is pivotal because it allows you to really leverage the power of technology.
That being said, there is something "intimate" about reading scripture in a physical book.
At the end of the day, the goal is to write God's word on our heart, so the format should fit the situation. At the point that it becomes a distraction, that's when I'd suggest using something else.
Also, one consideration based on the research: Kindles stand in a different category from PDFs and iPads. I find PDFs and iPads very distracting because they nurture my habit of skimming, as I do with most blog posts and articles on a backlit screen.
I'd be interested to see research that took people who were all passionate about reading and learning and see retention over time.
As for using a physical Bible in teaching and speaking, unfortunately Church culture hasn't really allowed digital formats to be acceptable (imo). It's changing, but I still think there's a lot of hesitation to encourage people to bring digital formats of Bibles. It's kind of a shame, since I feel like I've seen more people using their digital devices as Bibles, where before people either didn't bring Bibles or simply brought it and never opened it.
Good insight!!! Thanks, brother!
Post a Comment