Understanding Students' Active Reading in Phygital Learning Environments: A Study of Smartphone-Based Textbook Companions in Indian Classrooms

SUNNY PRAKASH PRAJAPATI^*Syaamantak Das

• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India

Active reading (AR) is central to students' comprehension and engagement, particularly when navigating complex academic texts. While digital textbooks and multimedia resources are increasingly used alongside print materials, little is known about how students engage in cross-media active reading using smartphone-based companion applications in authentic learning contexts. This study investigates how Indian high school students integrate print textbooks with mobile learning technologies to support comprehension, manage cognitive load, and sustain engagement. We conducted a two-part investigation: first, an exploratory survey of 45 students to understand their reading preferences and supplemental resource use; second, a mixed-methods study involving 26 students comparing active reading behaviors across two textbook systems, a printed textbook with a smartphone companion app and an interactive digital textbook. Using a combination of video-based behavioral coding, validated self-report instruments (NASA-TLX and UES), and linguistic analysis (Coh-Metrix), we found that the phygital system (printed textbook + companion app) was associated with lower cognitive workload, higher engagement, and linguistically richer written responses. These findings highlight the potential of cross-media phygital learning environments to enhance academic reading experiences and inform the design of technology-integrated instructional materials.