26 March 2026

Sophie Winkleman and David James have written a short article entitled, ‘Paper Chase’ with the subtitle, ‘Textbooks will always beat screens.’ Online learning certainly seems to be more immediately attractive with its vast range of resources and media.

The authors share two studies with the reader. ‘Research has shown that students learning online spend as much as 39 minutes out of every hour off task.’ They don’t give us an equivalence for textbook students. But wasting two-thirds of your study time is a lot of time.

The second relates to an experiment with 3,000 pupils who were involved in the PISA tests in maths, science and reading. Over three months, half did all their work on paper and half did all their work on computer.  What happened?

‘At the end, the paper-based group scored 20 points higher than the one working on screens – the equivalent of half a year’s extra schooling.’ Somehow, the tactile nature  of the book is attractive. It offers a stable source of information. It has its own authority.

100% of ten-year-olds in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are issued with standard textbooks in core subjects. This reduces to 10% in the UK. The former outperform the latter in these subjects. But are there other types of learning going on unnoticed?

In Ecclesiastes, the preacher says, ‘Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.’ We can be greedy for books and learning just as much as money and wealth. The achievements which God commends are simply a loving heart, a joyful spirit, a peace which passes understanding.