Detection and evaluation of the reading habits shown by university students in the field of literary works on electronic media: a case study at the international university of la rioja

Abstract

The International University of La Rioja (UNIR) is an internationally oriented online University whose main concern is to apply new technology to provide students with a set of high-quality standards in higher education. Within this educational organization, a new research group has been recently created under the name of "UNIRDigital-es". One of its main concerns is to study and interpret the reading habits shown by students at UNIR in their daily lives, as they deal with literary works on electronic media. Having this in mind, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: on the one hand, it aims at finding out the different forms in which these literary works available on electronic media are read and used by students at UNIR who are currently taking degrees on Primary Education, Communication, and Humanities. In so doing, this paper does not only try to identify the platforms or electronic devices employed, but also it conveys the ways in which these electronic literary contents are made use of under different contexts. On the other hand, this paper also tries to foreground the specific features these future trained professionals may demand when using a particular digital edition of a literary work to be used in a Spanish language and literature course. To accomplish these goals, the paper describes and assesses both purposes by means of an evaluative survey to be conducted among this particular group of students at UNIR.