The adoption of digital textbooks is becoming a topic of global discussion. In Japan, a bill has passed the House of Representatives to officially recognize digital textbooks and enable their free distribution in elementary and junior high schools. If this bill passes the House of Councillors and becomes law, textbooks available wholly or partially in digital format could be introduced as early as the 2030 academic year. Digital textbooks are designed for use on PCs and tablet devices. While their realization is drawing closer in Japan, it appears that implementation will not occur until the 2030 academic year or later at the earliest. Digital textbooks offer numerous advantages. Features such as text enlargement, *furigana* (reading aids), and text-to-speech functions are indispensable for children who face learning difficulties. They allow students to listen to accurate English pronunciation and engage in repetitive practice for correction. In arithmetic and mathematics, students can manipulate shapes and graphs to facilitate effective learning. Furthermore, using these tools helps students learn the proper and healthy use of digital devices—a skill essential for the society of the future. However, there are also moves to restrict the use of these beneficial digital textbooks.
Finland, a country of approximately 5.6 million people surrounded by forests and lakes, is a captivating nation that has repeatedly ranked first in the World Happiness Report. In the 2000s, it also topped the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings, earning a reputation as a leading educational powerhouse in Europe. However, Finland’s standing is now in jeopardy. PISA scores have been declining year by year; results in 2022 were lackluster, and the country has relinquished its top spot in Europe. The Finnish National Agency for Education attributes this decline in performance to the impact of digitalization—specifically, the rapid introduction of digital learning materials into school lessons. For about a decade, Finland has provided a computer to every student and incorporated them into lessons for more than 20 hours. One veteran teacher expressed concern about how students could maintain their focus when they spent so much time staring at computer screens during class. There is a belief that the push for digital learning materials has led to a decline in students’ reading comprehension and concentration. When such adverse effects emerge, measures are introduced to rectify the situation.
Finland implemented measures to re-evaluate “digital textbooks”—shifting back to a greater reliance on paper textbooks in the classroom—and also instituted a general ban on smartphone use within all elementary and lower secondary schools. How did the public react to these swift government actions? The measures were grounded in the results of a large-scale national survey. The findings from questionnaires administered to students, parents, and teachers supported the government’s policy direction. Forty percent of Finnish students reported that the use of digital devices hindered their mathematics lessons, while approximately 70 percent of parents stated they preferred paper textbooks over digital materials. Naturally, teachers also experienced the downsides of digital textbooks firsthand. However, survey data alone is insufficient from an evidentiary standpoint; verifying these findings through panel data analysis will likely be necessary to gain a clearer picture.
