To determine the influence of media on learning, a study explored students' preferences, perceived difficulty, and learning in relation to a variety of activities. A randomly selected panel of 611 students, grades three through ten, was drawn from the nine schools (six elementary, two junior high, and one senior high) that make up an entire public school system in Tennessee. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire and then chose between two electronic media activities (watching television or using a computer) and two print-oriented activities (writing or reading). Data were then examined in group level analyses, individual analyses, and demographic analyses. Among the findings were the following: (1) males preferred electronic media activities and considered them to be more educational than did females; (2) females selected writing and reading more often then did males; (3) students in lower grades preferred using a computer, considering it less difficult than did older students; and (4) watching television and reading were considered to be significantly more difficult by younger students than by older students. Perhaps most important, students appear to perceive their preferred activities as being easiest, and the easier the activities are perceived to be, the more students believe they learn from them. Further research is needed to support these findings. (Diagrams and tables of findings are included.) (DF)