THIS WEEK


News Analysis Pearson’s e-textbook push


Pearson must ‘force’ change in behaviour


An exclusive survey undertaken by Harris Interactive shows that Pearson’s pursuit of a digital-first textbook strategy may face challenges with UK students


Laurie Eaves Research manager, Harris Interactive


P


earson, the world’s largest education publisher, recently announced plans


to phase out physical textbooks in the US, instead moving into a “digital-first” model with e-text- books as its focus. Although this is currently announced for the US only, Pearson also confirmed that the model may be rolled out to other markets, including the UK. Harris Interactive conducted a survey in the UK to gauge responses to this potential move. The decision to phase out


printed textbooks is divisive: 39% expect this to negatively impact students. Perhaps surprisingly, students are more likely to see this move as negative (44%) than parents (39%), suggesting we have not yet truly reached a generation ready to go “digital- first”. This hesitation reflects reading habits: on average, parents, students and others access physical books more regu- larly than e-books. This is similar for both education e-textbooks and books for pleasure. If Pearson does roll out its plan to phase out textbooks in the UK, it will be forcing a change in behaviour, rather than reflecting demand. Printed textbooks are still seen


as having key advantages over e-textbooks:


 Printed books are considered more reliable (both in terms


of giving authoritative content and not crashing).


 Printed books have tangible/ interactive benefits: being


easier to annotate, bookmark and navigate.


18 26th July 2019


 Printed books are felt to encourage deeper reading


than e-textbooks. However, the key barrier


Pearson is likely to face is physical comfort: 47% feel less comfortable reading digital books than printed books. To overcome this barrier, Pearson (and other e-textbook provid- ers) needs to communicate the advantages of e-books. Eight-one per cent expect them to be cheaper than print (a key selling point in Pearson’s digital transition), and they are also considered more environmen- tally friendly, more practical to carry and more readily updated (tackling the idea that print is more authoritative). There is also strong agreement that digital textbooks are beter at encourag- ing shared engagement, a key pillar of Pearson’s move. Crucially, this is a market where there is potential for publishers to capitalise: direct purchase from a publisher’s website is the third-most common method of accessing e-books (aſter Amazon and Google Play). Thirt-four per cent of people who access educational e-textbooks do so via publishers’ websites. By phasing out physical textbooks and directly selling e-textbooks to students and parents, Pearson has a real opportunit to become an even stronger player in the e-textbook market.


Harris Interactive is a full- service, digital consultative custom market research


agency that combines sector expertise with award-winning research design and industry leading technology to deliver critical market research solutions at top speed.


MANY STUDENTS AND PARENTS PERCEIVE PRINT TEXTBOOKS TO BE MORE AUTHORITATIVE THAN DIGITAL COUNTERPARTS


These changes are likely to be <x> for students in education.


Strongly negative


17% 16%


Somewhat negative 27% 23%


Having little impact 16%


26% Somewhat positive 27% 21%


Strongly positive 13%


15%  Students  Parents The cons*


 Less reliable than print  Tangible benefits (making notes, bookmarking, ease of navigation)


 Print “encourages reading more”


 Print more comfortable /enjoyable to read


 Not everyone can afford e-readers


 Encourages “skimming” rather than full reading


 Print books are owned, not rented


*As reported by respondents. Harris Inter- active conducted 1,080 interviews online in July 2019. This included students and parents of children in education.


 Print seen as more authoritative/ permanent


The pros*


 Cheaper  Continuous updates


 Environmentally friendlier/ less waste from unused or out-of-date books


More portable/practical to carry More accessible


More appealing to “tech-savvy” generation


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