Advances in computer technology have hastened the development and dissemination of a wide range of electronic media into the workplace and educational settings. Electronic media offer many advantages, including quicker access to information and easier information sharing among professions. However, electronic reading media have still not been well integrated into these settings, especially for non-routine cognitive tasks like active reading. Conflicting results from different measures (e.g., performance, preference) have been reported regarding their efficacy. Despite the fact that there are no significant performance differences between reading from paper and reading from electronic media, people still show a preference for reading from paper and resist changes in the workplace, which often results in the abandonment of electronic reading media. Therefore, in order to maximize the potential benefits from electronic reading media, researchers and designers need more valid ways to assess the effectiveness of electronic reading media than relying on existing methods using outcome-based measures of reading.

Although the act of reading is primarily a cognitive process, there are relatively few comprehensive empirical reports on how the use of different reading media impacts cognitive processes like reading strategies. Moreover, researchers have rarely considered generational differences, even though generation-specific reading practices could significantly affect readers' current reading practices using different media.

Therefore, the overall objective of this research was to develop and evaluate a new method to test the effectiveness of reading medium in terms of supporting design and evaluation. Specifically, this research examined how reading strategies can be used as a process measure. The research consisted of three parts: (1) investigating readers' use of reading strategies using different types of media, (2) identifying the relationship between readers' use of reading strategies and their performance and subjective response, and (3) identifying the relationship between readers' use of reading strategies and cognitive load. Resultant findings are expected to improve how we measure the effectiveness of electronic reading media.

First, readers' use of reading strategies for different types of media was examined and associated generational differences were investigated. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which three generations of participants (Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y) were asked to perform an active reading task (a simulated work-related reading task) with three types of media (paper, computer, and iPad). Readers' uses of reading strategies were identified from task observation and Retrospective Think Aloud (RTA) sessions. Quantitative analyses revealed significant differences in readers' use of reading strategies, and which depended on both the type of media and individual attributes (generation). Detailed qualitative analyses were conducted to help explain the underlying reasons for these differences in the use of reading strategies.

Second, based on the identified reading strategies, the relationships between readers' use of reading strategies and their performance and subjective responses were examined. Such outcome measures have traditionally been used to assess the efficacy of different reading media. However, previous studies have generated conflicting results and did not clearly demonstrate the underlying aspects that influence readers' performance and subjective responses. The results of this study showed a clear association between readers' use of reading strategies and their performance and subjective responses. Accordingly, it was revealed that participants who used the reading strategies they developed in their formative period exhibited higher subjective responses.

Third, again based on the identified reading strategies, the association between readers' use of reading strategies and cognitive load was examined. Reading from electronic media has been regarded as requiring more cognitive resources than reading from paper. However, it has not been well understood precisely which aspects of reading from different media actually influence cognitive load in terms of cognitive and metacognitive perspectives. The results reported herein showed an association between reading strategies and cognitive load. Therefore, this study revealed that the use of reading strategies was critical to their cognitive load.

Overall, this research demonstrated how reading strategies could be used as process measures to assess the effectiveness of specific media for active reading activities. The way in which people interact with a text (readers' use of reading strategies) was affected by the medium, as well as by generation-specific reading practices. The extent to which reading strategies can explain reading differences was confirmed, by investigating the associations between readers' use of reading strategies and other measures. These findings can contribute to the design of reading media and help to determine the most suitable reading media for active reading activities (e.g., work-related reading activities). In addition, the findings also support the importance of culturally situated experience for non-routine cognitive activities and the use of an integrated approach that takes into account both cognitive and cultural aspects in designing human-computer interaction for non-routine cognitive activities.