Online Reading Comprehension: Opportunities,
Challenges, and Next Steps
Julie Coiro, Associate Professor, School of Education
University of Rhode Island
jcoiro@mail.uri.edu
Academic Papers: http://uri.academia.edu/JulieCoiro/Papers
Where are we headed?
What is online reading comprehension (from a new
literacies perspective)?

What questions are worth exploring next?
A New Literacies Perspective of
Online Reading Comprehension
1.

Students require additional, new skills to read and
effectively comprehend information online.
2. Students are sometimes more literate than their
teachers with certain aspects of using the Internet.
3. The Internet is a READING and WRITING issue
(not a technology issue) for every content-area
classroom teacher, reading educator, and library
media specialist.
How does reading and learning
on the Internet change?
You begin by identifying an important question
New ways of locating information
New reasons for critically evaluating the
information
New contexts for synthesizing information to
answer your questions
New ways of communicating the answers to others
Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack (2004)
Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek, & Henry (2013)
Initial Evidence of something “new”

(r=0.19, n = 89, N.S.)
Offline Reading =
CT State
Reading Test
Online Reading
Comprehension=
ORCA Blog

Leu, D. Castek, J., Hartman, D., Coiro, J.,
Henry, L., Kulikowich, J., Lyver, S. (2005).
Additional Evidence:
Predicting Online Reading Comprehension
R2
Offline Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Prior Knowledge

Additional R2
Online Reading
Comprehension

Total R2

.351*

.074

.154*

.579*

35%

7.4%

15.4%

57.9%

Offline Reading Comp.= CT State Reading Test
Online Reading Comprehension = ORCA Quia

Coiro, 2011
n=120

Qualitative evidence: (Coiro & Dobler, 2007; Afflerbach & Cho, 2009)
Quantitative evidence: (Kingsley, 2010; Coiro, 2011)
Theoretical examples: (Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng, 2009)
Turn and Talk:
Think about your own experiences reading
on the Internet…how do they compare to
reading printed materials? Share with a
partner…
What is one thing that appears to
be different?
What do you notice you (or
your students) struggle with?
Other studies of online reading
(Afflerbach & Cho, 2009)
Nature of unique reading strategies reported by
accomplished online readers
Overviewing before reading
Evaluating qualities of multiple & diverse texts/snippets
Strategies for realizing and constructing potential texts to
read (scrutinizing hyperlinks, generating inferences,
sequencing texts, conducting complementary searches)
points to the centrality of monitoring
Implications for developing readers? Many areas of
potential challenge
Afflerbach, P. & Cho, B. (2009). Determining and describing reading strategies: Internet and
traditional forms of reading. In H. S. Waters & W. Schneider (Eds.). Metacognition, strategy use,
and instruction (pp. 201-225). New York: Guilford Press.
Other studies of online reading
Major shift in our conception of reading comprehension
in terms of complexity and multiplicity
RAND Model (2002):
Tetradic conception of
four interacting elements

Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng (2010):
Hexadic conception of six interacting
elements (each is multiple as well)

Texts
Texts
Texts
Texts
Texts Authors
Texts Authors
Contexts
Contexts
Authors
Contexts
Authors
Contexts
Authors
Contexts
Authors
Contexts
Readers
Readers
Tasks
Tasks
Readers
Readers
Tasks
Tasks
Readers
Readers
Tasks
Tasks
Technologie
Technologie
Technologie
Technologie
Technologie
s
Technologie
s
s
s
s
s
So what skills are important to have
for reading on the Internet? (Coiro, 2007)
Speed matters!

A new kind of fluency!

Well, I’d say - concentration…immunity to the
rest of the sites once you click on one. And being a
good internet searcher - meaning when you know
exactly what to click on without having to think
twice about it, and when you click on it, it’s
reliable….I’d say it’s about 25% luck, 74% skill,
and 1% wit - I really can’t understand it all
myself but …they mold right into a perfect circle
and it works correctly!
Evaluate relevancy

Locating &
Evaluating

Evaluate reliability
What opportunities do “digitally
literate” learners encounter when they
interact with people and information
online?
Authentic Inquiry & Deeper Thinking
Authentic Inquiry & Deeper Thinking
Collaboratively Co-Construct Knowledge
Social Practices: Request & give information;
jointly acknowledge, evaluate, & build on
partner’s contributions

Cognitive Strategies: Read, question, monitor, repair,
infer, connect, clarify, and interpret
Opportunities for Extended Online
Collaboration and Communication
Grade 4: Cross-Country
Collaboration with Animal Specialists
Three stages
1. Local Expert Inspires
Inquiry Circles
2. Students identify
specific animals to study
3. Animal specialists
support student discovery
using Voicethread
Building Productive Skills in
Collaboration and Communication
Grade 4: Ask-An-Expert with VoiceThread
Developing/Sharing Your Personal Voice
Generating Online Texts

Over 460 entries by
Grade 3 & 4 students!
Developing/Sharing Your Personal Voice

Taking Action with Public Service
Announcements
What challenges do learners encounter
when they interact with people and
information online?
Challenges: Balance, Prudence,
and Digital Wisdom
Digital Natives (Prensky, 2005)

– Are they really??

The Digital Natives Debate (e.g., Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008)
From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom (Prensky, 2010; 2012)
“The human mind is extended, enhanced, amplified and
liberated by technology”
Find the best combination of mind and technology
Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom
(Prensky, 2012)
Challenges: Balance, Prudence,
and Digital Wisdom
Critical skills include:
How to acquire new information;
Learning how to learn;
A positive attitude; and
A quest for digital wisdom:
• “Figure out where and when the ‘old’ wisdom still
works, and where and when it doesn’t. And, in the latter
case, we need to put something new its place (p. 7)”
Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom
(Prensky, 2012)
Generally, students struggle with
inquiry and online research…
Generating important questions to solve a
problem (McKenzie, 2005; Rothstein & Santana, 2011)
Locating relevant information

(Henry, 2006; Leu et al,

2005; Miller & Bartlett, 2012)

Critically evaluating information (especially
conflicting claims) (Metzger & Flanigan, 2008; Miller & Bartlett,
2012; Pew Internet Study, 2012)

Synthesizing information from multiple sources
and modes/formats (Killi, 2012; Rouet, 2006)
Communicating their findings/solutions clearly in
writing (e.g., argumentation) and with new
technologies (e.g., email, blogs, wikis) (Sevensma, 2013)
Findings from less skilled readers
Elementary, middle, and high school students have few
strategies for systematically locating information on the
Internet – They struggle with…
Generating and refining precise keyword searches
Inferring which link might be most useful in a set of
search results
Efficiently scanning and navigating within websites
Efficiently locating information that best suits their needs
(e.g., Bilal, 2000, 2001; Eagleton & Guinee, 2002; Henry, 2006; Kuiper &
Volman, 2008; Rouet, 2006, Sutherland-Smith, 2002)
Conducting Google Searches
Images of American History?
Images American History

Images American History: edu
Reading within search results

Which site features
information about
hieroglyphics?
Who sponsors Site 4?
What’s missing?
Reading within complex websites
Findings from less skilled readers
Elementary and middle students have few strategies for
critically judging the quality of information on the
Internet – They struggle with…
Determining the author and/or sponsor of a website
Evaluating an author’s level of expertise
Identifying the author’s point of view and one piece
of evidence that illustrates that point of view
Determining the overall reliability of a website with
reasoned evidence to support their decision
(e.g., Barzalai & Zohar, 2012; Coiro, 2013; Fabos, 2008; Forzani &
Burlingame, 2012; Metzger & Flanigan, 2008; Miller & Bartlett, 2012;
Walraven et al, 2009)
The TICA Project: Leu, Reinking, et al. (2005-2008)
Findings from less skilled readers

Almost 20%!

80-88% of our large Grade 7 sample struggled
with all three of these evaluation skills!

Coiro (2013); Leu, Kulikowich, Sedransk, & Coiro (2009-2014)
Sample student responses: Online Reading
Comprehension Assessment (ORCA, 2012)
Is the author an expert?
Yes, because he talks a lot about the topic in this article
Yes, I think he is because he made a chart.
Yes, it has his job title at the bottom of the article.

What is the author’s point of view and how does it
affect the words and images used on the website?
The point of view in the article is from Tim's point. It
affects the words because it's like he's telling you himself.
By the author’s craft – by the way he writes I guess.
I think it’s 3rd person point of view.
Sample student responses: Online Reading
Comprehension Assessment (ORCA, 2012)
Do you think the information at this site is
reliable?
No, because I have never heard of this site before.
Yes because it says that many people use and it helps them.
At the top it says official affiliate/unofficial opinions so I
think it is reliable even though it’s a blog.
In the third paragraph, he did a comparison with two
companies, which shows it has to be pretty accurate.
Yeah because it was posted on June 2, 2009.
It could be. I’m not sure.
Findings from less skilled readers
Less skilled adolescent synthesizers…
Know less about a topic at the outset which leads to
more “ineffective traversals” (Sevensma, 2013)
Seem less aware of task purpose as way to organize
reading/synthesizing activities (Goldman et al., 2012)
Prioritize content-relevance over other critical factors
when choosing a text (Braasch et al., 2009)
Are less likely to discriminate between more and less
reliable online texts (Wiley et al., 2009; Goldman, et al., 2012)
Findings from less skilled readers
Less skilled adolescent synthesizers…
Struggle to identify discontinuities or controversies
presented across texts (Britt & Aglinksas, 2002; TICA Project)
Humane
Society

Dog
Musher
Findings from less skilled readers
As less skilled readers communicate a
representation of their ideas they…
Are less likely to have a “cohesive plan” or to
carry out a plan that would lead to effective
representation and communication of their
message
Generate less content in the same amount of time
as their peers
(Sevensma, 2013)
What about attitudes and
beliefs?
Survey of Online Reading Dispositions (SORD)
20-item questionnaire (10 Likert-scale items and 8 open-ended
interview questions)
Likert-item subscales: useful, engaging, valuable, easy to use (r =.705)
Open-ended items: scored 0 or 1 for total of 8 points

Open-ended questions:
(a) How approach; (b) How respond; (c): Self-efficacy
• What is easiest for you about using the Internet for research?
• What is hardest for you about using the Internet for research?
• Can you think of a time when you had trouble finding something using the Internet? How do you
feel when this happens? How long do you keep trying before you give up?
• What do you know about using the Internet effectively that some kids your age might not know?
What about attitudes and
beliefs?
Survey of Frequency of Internet Use
12 items (Entertainment, Communication, Information,
Location) r = .636
Role of Dispositions (mindsets,
attitudes, and beliefs)
Online Reading Dispositions (12 Likert items)
(no additional variance explained) correlation r = .210, p <.05
R2
Offline Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Prior Knowledge

Additional R2
Online Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Online Reading
Dispositions

Total R2

.351*

.074

.154*

.003NS

.582*



Online Reading Dispositions (open ended items)
(significant amount of additional variance explained) correlation r =.369, p<.001

R2
Offline Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Prior Knowledge

Additional R2
Online Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Online Reading
Dispositions

Total R2

.355*

.076

.142*

.027*

.600*
Dispositions vs.
Frequency of Internet Use



Frequency of Internet Use (no additional variance explained)

R2
Offline Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Prior Knowledge

Additional R2
Online Reading
Comprehension

Additional R2
Frequency of
Internet Use

Total R2

.351*

.074

.154*

.009NS

.587*
Online Reading Dispositions

Coiro, J. (2012, April). Digital Literacies: Understanding dispositions toward reading
on the Internet. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 55(7), 645-648.
Opportunities…
Challenges...
Next Steps for Understanding
Online Research and Comprehension
Next steps…
Reading online to locate information
Continually re-examine our thinking about which locating
skills are most important (rapidly emerging new tools, features,
and affordances/constraints)
Reading online to critically evaluate information:
Deepen our understanding of cognitive abilities and limitations
(Eastin, 2008): At what age can we expect learners to be able
to make credibility judgments (e.g., identify author motives
and perspectives; counterbalance information with multiple and
conflicting sources)?
Role of students’ personal epistemologies (ways of thinking
about the nature of knowledge and knowing) and its impact on
student competence in website evaluation (Barzalai & Zohar,
2012)
Next steps…
Reading online to synthesize information
What are the underlying processes involved in how learners
deconstruct, analyze, consolidate, organize, and integrate
information from disparate sources (Schira-Hagerman, in process;
DeSchryver, 2012)?
How can collaborative partnerships and digital support tools (Coiro
et al, 2012; 2013; Kiili et al. 2012, Kiili & Coiro, in process)
scaffold complex online reading processes?

Reading online to communicate information
Turn attention toward readers and writers as media makers and
socially active citizens (Hobbs, 2010; 2011; Hobbs & Moore, 2013)
– How do we document students’ ability to collaboratively collect,
share, generate, and creatively produce in ways that meet social
demands of a participatory culture (e.g., Jenkins, 2006)?
In summary…
New reading and composing/making skills, practices,
and dispositions are required to comprehend online
information…and more are on the horizon!

Tomorrow: How can educators support online readers?
References
Barzilai, S., & Zohar, A. (2012). Epistemic Thinking in Action: Evaluating and Integrating Online
Sources. Cognition and Instruction, 30(1), 39–85. doi:10.1080/07370008.2011.636495
Bilal, D. (2000). Children’s use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: I. Cognitive, physical, and
affective behaviors on fact-based search tasks. Journal of the American Society for Information
Science, 51(7), 646–665. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(2000)51:7<646::AID-ASI7>3.0.CO;2-A
Bilal, D. (2001). Children’s use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: II. Cognitive and physical
behaviors on research tasks. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,
52(2), 118–136. doi:10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1038>3.3.CO;2-I
Coiro, J. (2007). Exploring changes to reading comprehension on the Internet. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, University of Connecticut. Storrs, CT.
Eagleton, M. B., & Guinee, K. (2002). Strategies for supporting student Internet inquiry. New England
Reading Association Journal, 38, 39–47.
Fabos, B. (2008). The price of information: Critical literacy education and today’s Internet. . In J.Coiro,
M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 839-870). New
York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Flanagin, A.J., and Metzger, M. (2008) Digital Media and Youth: Unparalleled Opportunity and
Unprecedented Responsibility. In M.J. Metzger & A. J. Flanagin (Eds.) Digital Media, Youth, and
Credibility: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning.
(pp. 5–28). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262562324.005
References
Forzani, E. & Burlingame, C. (2012). Evaluating seventh grade students’ ability to critically evaluate
online information. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, San
Diego, CT.
Hagerman, M.S. (in progress). The impact of Online Synthesis Instruction (OSI) on adolescents’
ability to construct an integrated understanding of science topics from multiple Internet texts.
(Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI.
Hartman, D. K., Morsink, P. M., & Zheng, J. (2010). From print to pixels: The evolution of cognitive
conceptions of reading comprehension. In E. A. Baker (Ed.). The new literacies: Multiple perspectives
on research and practice (pp. 131-164). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Henry, L. a. (2006). SEARCHing for an Answer: The Critical Role of New Literacies While Reading on
the Internet. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 614–627. doi:10.1598/RT.59.7.1
Hicks, T. (2013) Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Kuiper, E. & Volman, M. (2008). The web as a source of information for students in K-12 education. In
J. Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 241266) New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Leu, D. J., Kinzer, C. K., Coiro, J. L., & Cammack, D. W. (2004). Donald J. Leu, Jr., Charles K. Kinzer,
Julie L. Coiro, and Dana W. Cammack. Theoretical models and processes of reading (pp. 1570–
1613).
References
Leu, D. J., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D., Henry, L.A., & Reinking, D. (2008). Research on
instruction and assessment in the new literacies of online reading comprehension. In Cathy Collins
Block, Sherri Parris, & Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best
practices. New York: Guilford Press. Retrieved from
http://www.newliteracies.uconn.edu/pub_files/instruction.pdf
Miller, C. & Bartlett, J. (2012). ‘Digital fluency’: Toward young people’s critical use of the Internet.
Journal of Information Literacy, 6(2), 35-55.
Rouet, J.-F. (2006). The skills of document use: From text comprehension to web-based learning.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sevensma, K. (2013). Negotiating new literacies in science: An examination of at-risk and averageachieving ninth-grade readers’ online reading comprehension strategies. (Unpublished Doctoral
Dissertation). Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI.
Sutherland-Smith, W. (2002). Weaving the literacy web: Changes in reading from page to screen. The
Reading Teacher, 55, 662-669.
Walraven, A., Brand-Gruwel, S., & Boshuizen, H. P. a. (2009). How students evaluate information and
sources when searching the World Wide Web for information. Computers & Education, 52(1), 234–
246. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.08.003
Zhang, S., & Duke, N. K. (2008). Strategies for Internet reading with different reading purposes: A
descriptive study of twelve good Internet readers. Journal of Literacy Research, 40, 128–162.
Collaboratively Co-Construct Knowledge
Social Practices: Request & give information;
jointly acknowledge, evaluate, & build on
partner’s contributions

Cognitive Strategies: Read, question, monitor, repair,
infer, connect, clarify, and interpret

Online Reading Comprehension: Opportunities, Challenges, and Next Steps

  • 1.
    Online Reading Comprehension:Opportunities, Challenges, and Next Steps Julie Coiro, Associate Professor, School of Education University of Rhode Island [email protected] Academic Papers: http://uri.academia.edu/JulieCoiro/Papers
  • 2.
    Where are weheaded? What is online reading comprehension (from a new literacies perspective)? What questions are worth exploring next?
  • 3.
    A New LiteraciesPerspective of Online Reading Comprehension 1. Students require additional, new skills to read and effectively comprehend information online. 2. Students are sometimes more literate than their teachers with certain aspects of using the Internet. 3. The Internet is a READING and WRITING issue (not a technology issue) for every content-area classroom teacher, reading educator, and library media specialist.
  • 4.
    How does readingand learning on the Internet change? You begin by identifying an important question New ways of locating information New reasons for critically evaluating the information New contexts for synthesizing information to answer your questions New ways of communicating the answers to others Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack (2004) Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek, & Henry (2013)
  • 5.
    Initial Evidence ofsomething “new” (r=0.19, n = 89, N.S.) Offline Reading = CT State Reading Test Online Reading Comprehension= ORCA Blog Leu, D. Castek, J., Hartman, D., Coiro, J., Henry, L., Kulikowich, J., Lyver, S. (2005).
  • 6.
    Additional Evidence: Predicting OnlineReading Comprehension R2 Offline Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Prior Knowledge Additional R2 Online Reading Comprehension Total R2 .351* .074 .154* .579* 35% 7.4% 15.4% 57.9% Offline Reading Comp.= CT State Reading Test Online Reading Comprehension = ORCA Quia Coiro, 2011 n=120 Qualitative evidence: (Coiro & Dobler, 2007; Afflerbach & Cho, 2009) Quantitative evidence: (Kingsley, 2010; Coiro, 2011) Theoretical examples: (Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng, 2009)
  • 7.
    Turn and Talk: Thinkabout your own experiences reading on the Internet…how do they compare to reading printed materials? Share with a partner… What is one thing that appears to be different? What do you notice you (or your students) struggle with?
  • 8.
    Other studies ofonline reading (Afflerbach & Cho, 2009) Nature of unique reading strategies reported by accomplished online readers Overviewing before reading Evaluating qualities of multiple & diverse texts/snippets Strategies for realizing and constructing potential texts to read (scrutinizing hyperlinks, generating inferences, sequencing texts, conducting complementary searches) points to the centrality of monitoring Implications for developing readers? Many areas of potential challenge Afflerbach, P. & Cho, B. (2009). Determining and describing reading strategies: Internet and traditional forms of reading. In H. S. Waters & W. Schneider (Eds.). Metacognition, strategy use, and instruction (pp. 201-225). New York: Guilford Press.
  • 9.
    Other studies ofonline reading Major shift in our conception of reading comprehension in terms of complexity and multiplicity RAND Model (2002): Tetradic conception of four interacting elements Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng (2010): Hexadic conception of six interacting elements (each is multiple as well) Texts Texts Texts Texts Texts Authors Texts Authors Contexts Contexts Authors Contexts Authors Contexts Authors Contexts Authors Contexts Readers Readers Tasks Tasks Readers Readers Tasks Tasks Readers Readers Tasks Tasks Technologie Technologie Technologie Technologie Technologie s Technologie s s s s s
  • 10.
    So what skillsare important to have for reading on the Internet? (Coiro, 2007) Speed matters! A new kind of fluency! Well, I’d say - concentration…immunity to the rest of the sites once you click on one. And being a good internet searcher - meaning when you know exactly what to click on without having to think twice about it, and when you click on it, it’s reliable….I’d say it’s about 25% luck, 74% skill, and 1% wit - I really can’t understand it all myself but …they mold right into a perfect circle and it works correctly! Evaluate relevancy Locating & Evaluating Evaluate reliability
  • 11.
    What opportunities do“digitally literate” learners encounter when they interact with people and information online?
  • 12.
    Authentic Inquiry &Deeper Thinking
  • 13.
    Authentic Inquiry &Deeper Thinking
  • 14.
    Collaboratively Co-Construct Knowledge SocialPractices: Request & give information; jointly acknowledge, evaluate, & build on partner’s contributions Cognitive Strategies: Read, question, monitor, repair, infer, connect, clarify, and interpret
  • 15.
    Opportunities for ExtendedOnline Collaboration and Communication Grade 4: Cross-Country Collaboration with Animal Specialists Three stages 1. Local Expert Inspires Inquiry Circles 2. Students identify specific animals to study 3. Animal specialists support student discovery using Voicethread
  • 16.
    Building Productive Skillsin Collaboration and Communication Grade 4: Ask-An-Expert with VoiceThread
  • 17.
    Developing/Sharing Your PersonalVoice Generating Online Texts Over 460 entries by Grade 3 & 4 students!
  • 18.
    Developing/Sharing Your PersonalVoice Taking Action with Public Service Announcements
  • 19.
    What challenges dolearners encounter when they interact with people and information online?
  • 20.
    Challenges: Balance, Prudence, andDigital Wisdom Digital Natives (Prensky, 2005) – Are they really?? The Digital Natives Debate (e.g., Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008) From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom (Prensky, 2010; 2012) “The human mind is extended, enhanced, amplified and liberated by technology” Find the best combination of mind and technology Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom (Prensky, 2012)
  • 21.
    Challenges: Balance, Prudence, andDigital Wisdom Critical skills include: How to acquire new information; Learning how to learn; A positive attitude; and A quest for digital wisdom: • “Figure out where and when the ‘old’ wisdom still works, and where and when it doesn’t. And, in the latter case, we need to put something new its place (p. 7)” Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom (Prensky, 2012)
  • 22.
    Generally, students strugglewith inquiry and online research… Generating important questions to solve a problem (McKenzie, 2005; Rothstein & Santana, 2011) Locating relevant information (Henry, 2006; Leu et al, 2005; Miller & Bartlett, 2012) Critically evaluating information (especially conflicting claims) (Metzger & Flanigan, 2008; Miller & Bartlett, 2012; Pew Internet Study, 2012) Synthesizing information from multiple sources and modes/formats (Killi, 2012; Rouet, 2006) Communicating their findings/solutions clearly in writing (e.g., argumentation) and with new technologies (e.g., email, blogs, wikis) (Sevensma, 2013)
  • 23.
    Findings from lessskilled readers Elementary, middle, and high school students have few strategies for systematically locating information on the Internet – They struggle with… Generating and refining precise keyword searches Inferring which link might be most useful in a set of search results Efficiently scanning and navigating within websites Efficiently locating information that best suits their needs (e.g., Bilal, 2000, 2001; Eagleton & Guinee, 2002; Henry, 2006; Kuiper & Volman, 2008; Rouet, 2006, Sutherland-Smith, 2002)
  • 24.
    Conducting Google Searches Imagesof American History? Images American History Images American History: edu
  • 25.
    Reading within searchresults Which site features information about hieroglyphics? Who sponsors Site 4? What’s missing?
  • 26.
  • 27.
    Findings from lessskilled readers Elementary and middle students have few strategies for critically judging the quality of information on the Internet – They struggle with… Determining the author and/or sponsor of a website Evaluating an author’s level of expertise Identifying the author’s point of view and one piece of evidence that illustrates that point of view Determining the overall reliability of a website with reasoned evidence to support their decision (e.g., Barzalai & Zohar, 2012; Coiro, 2013; Fabos, 2008; Forzani & Burlingame, 2012; Metzger & Flanigan, 2008; Miller & Bartlett, 2012; Walraven et al, 2009)
  • 28.
    The TICA Project:Leu, Reinking, et al. (2005-2008)
  • 29.
    Findings from lessskilled readers Almost 20%! 80-88% of our large Grade 7 sample struggled with all three of these evaluation skills! Coiro (2013); Leu, Kulikowich, Sedransk, & Coiro (2009-2014)
  • 30.
    Sample student responses:Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA, 2012) Is the author an expert? Yes, because he talks a lot about the topic in this article Yes, I think he is because he made a chart. Yes, it has his job title at the bottom of the article. What is the author’s point of view and how does it affect the words and images used on the website? The point of view in the article is from Tim's point. It affects the words because it's like he's telling you himself. By the author’s craft – by the way he writes I guess. I think it’s 3rd person point of view.
  • 31.
    Sample student responses:Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA, 2012) Do you think the information at this site is reliable? No, because I have never heard of this site before. Yes because it says that many people use and it helps them. At the top it says official affiliate/unofficial opinions so I think it is reliable even though it’s a blog. In the third paragraph, he did a comparison with two companies, which shows it has to be pretty accurate. Yeah because it was posted on June 2, 2009. It could be. I’m not sure.
  • 32.
    Findings from lessskilled readers Less skilled adolescent synthesizers… Know less about a topic at the outset which leads to more “ineffective traversals” (Sevensma, 2013) Seem less aware of task purpose as way to organize reading/synthesizing activities (Goldman et al., 2012) Prioritize content-relevance over other critical factors when choosing a text (Braasch et al., 2009) Are less likely to discriminate between more and less reliable online texts (Wiley et al., 2009; Goldman, et al., 2012)
  • 33.
    Findings from lessskilled readers Less skilled adolescent synthesizers… Struggle to identify discontinuities or controversies presented across texts (Britt & Aglinksas, 2002; TICA Project)
  • 36.
  • 37.
    Findings from lessskilled readers As less skilled readers communicate a representation of their ideas they… Are less likely to have a “cohesive plan” or to carry out a plan that would lead to effective representation and communication of their message Generate less content in the same amount of time as their peers (Sevensma, 2013)
  • 38.
    What about attitudesand beliefs? Survey of Online Reading Dispositions (SORD) 20-item questionnaire (10 Likert-scale items and 8 open-ended interview questions) Likert-item subscales: useful, engaging, valuable, easy to use (r =.705) Open-ended items: scored 0 or 1 for total of 8 points Open-ended questions: (a) How approach; (b) How respond; (c): Self-efficacy • What is easiest for you about using the Internet for research? • What is hardest for you about using the Internet for research? • Can you think of a time when you had trouble finding something using the Internet? How do you feel when this happens? How long do you keep trying before you give up? • What do you know about using the Internet effectively that some kids your age might not know?
  • 39.
    What about attitudesand beliefs? Survey of Frequency of Internet Use 12 items (Entertainment, Communication, Information, Location) r = .636
  • 40.
    Role of Dispositions(mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs) Online Reading Dispositions (12 Likert items) (no additional variance explained) correlation r = .210, p <.05 R2 Offline Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Prior Knowledge Additional R2 Online Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Online Reading Dispositions Total R2 .351* .074 .154* .003NS .582*  Online Reading Dispositions (open ended items) (significant amount of additional variance explained) correlation r =.369, p<.001 R2 Offline Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Prior Knowledge Additional R2 Online Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Online Reading Dispositions Total R2 .355* .076 .142* .027* .600*
  • 41.
    Dispositions vs. Frequency ofInternet Use  Frequency of Internet Use (no additional variance explained) R2 Offline Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Prior Knowledge Additional R2 Online Reading Comprehension Additional R2 Frequency of Internet Use Total R2 .351* .074 .154* .009NS .587*
  • 42.
    Online Reading Dispositions Coiro,J. (2012, April). Digital Literacies: Understanding dispositions toward reading on the Internet. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 55(7), 645-648.
  • 43.
    Opportunities… Challenges... Next Steps forUnderstanding Online Research and Comprehension
  • 44.
    Next steps… Reading onlineto locate information Continually re-examine our thinking about which locating skills are most important (rapidly emerging new tools, features, and affordances/constraints) Reading online to critically evaluate information: Deepen our understanding of cognitive abilities and limitations (Eastin, 2008): At what age can we expect learners to be able to make credibility judgments (e.g., identify author motives and perspectives; counterbalance information with multiple and conflicting sources)? Role of students’ personal epistemologies (ways of thinking about the nature of knowledge and knowing) and its impact on student competence in website evaluation (Barzalai & Zohar, 2012)
  • 45.
    Next steps… Reading onlineto synthesize information What are the underlying processes involved in how learners deconstruct, analyze, consolidate, organize, and integrate information from disparate sources (Schira-Hagerman, in process; DeSchryver, 2012)? How can collaborative partnerships and digital support tools (Coiro et al, 2012; 2013; Kiili et al. 2012, Kiili & Coiro, in process) scaffold complex online reading processes? Reading online to communicate information Turn attention toward readers and writers as media makers and socially active citizens (Hobbs, 2010; 2011; Hobbs & Moore, 2013) – How do we document students’ ability to collaboratively collect, share, generate, and creatively produce in ways that meet social demands of a participatory culture (e.g., Jenkins, 2006)?
  • 46.
    In summary… New readingand composing/making skills, practices, and dispositions are required to comprehend online information…and more are on the horizon! Tomorrow: How can educators support online readers?
  • 47.
    References Barzilai, S., &Zohar, A. (2012). Epistemic Thinking in Action: Evaluating and Integrating Online Sources. Cognition and Instruction, 30(1), 39–85. doi:10.1080/07370008.2011.636495 Bilal, D. (2000). Children’s use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: I. Cognitive, physical, and affective behaviors on fact-based search tasks. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 51(7), 646–665. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(2000)51:7<646::AID-ASI7>3.0.CO;2-A Bilal, D. (2001). Children’s use of the Yahooligans! Web search engine: II. Cognitive and physical behaviors on research tasks. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 52(2), 118–136. doi:10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1038>3.3.CO;2-I Coiro, J. (2007). Exploring changes to reading comprehension on the Internet. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut. Storrs, CT. Eagleton, M. B., & Guinee, K. (2002). Strategies for supporting student Internet inquiry. New England Reading Association Journal, 38, 39–47. Fabos, B. (2008). The price of information: Critical literacy education and today’s Internet. . In J.Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 839-870). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. Flanagin, A.J., and Metzger, M. (2008) Digital Media and Youth: Unparalleled Opportunity and Unprecedented Responsibility. In M.J. Metzger & A. J. Flanagin (Eds.) Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. (pp. 5–28). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262562324.005
  • 48.
    References Forzani, E. &Burlingame, C. (2012). Evaluating seventh grade students’ ability to critically evaluate online information. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, San Diego, CT. Hagerman, M.S. (in progress). The impact of Online Synthesis Instruction (OSI) on adolescents’ ability to construct an integrated understanding of science topics from multiple Internet texts. (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI. Hartman, D. K., Morsink, P. M., & Zheng, J. (2010). From print to pixels: The evolution of cognitive conceptions of reading comprehension. In E. A. Baker (Ed.). The new literacies: Multiple perspectives on research and practice (pp. 131-164). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Henry, L. a. (2006). SEARCHing for an Answer: The Critical Role of New Literacies While Reading on the Internet. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 614–627. doi:10.1598/RT.59.7.1 Hicks, T. (2013) Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Kuiper, E. & Volman, M. (2008). The web as a source of information for students in K-12 education. In J. Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 241266) New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. Leu, D. J., Kinzer, C. K., Coiro, J. L., & Cammack, D. W. (2004). Donald J. Leu, Jr., Charles K. Kinzer, Julie L. Coiro, and Dana W. Cammack. Theoretical models and processes of reading (pp. 1570– 1613).
  • 49.
    References Leu, D. J.,Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D., Henry, L.A., & Reinking, D. (2008). Research on instruction and assessment in the new literacies of online reading comprehension. In Cathy Collins Block, Sherri Parris, & Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices. New York: Guilford Press. Retrieved from http://www.newliteracies.uconn.edu/pub_files/instruction.pdf Miller, C. & Bartlett, J. (2012). ‘Digital fluency’: Toward young people’s critical use of the Internet. Journal of Information Literacy, 6(2), 35-55. Rouet, J.-F. (2006). The skills of document use: From text comprehension to web-based learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Sevensma, K. (2013). Negotiating new literacies in science: An examination of at-risk and averageachieving ninth-grade readers’ online reading comprehension strategies. (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI. Sutherland-Smith, W. (2002). Weaving the literacy web: Changes in reading from page to screen. The Reading Teacher, 55, 662-669. Walraven, A., Brand-Gruwel, S., & Boshuizen, H. P. a. (2009). How students evaluate information and sources when searching the World Wide Web for information. Computers & Education, 52(1), 234– 246. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.08.003 Zhang, S., & Duke, N. K. (2008). Strategies for Internet reading with different reading purposes: A descriptive study of twelve good Internet readers. Journal of Literacy Research, 40, 128–162.
  • 50.
    Collaboratively Co-Construct Knowledge SocialPractices: Request & give information; jointly acknowledge, evaluate, & build on partner’s contributions Cognitive Strategies: Read, question, monitor, repair, infer, connect, clarify, and interpret

Editor's Notes

  • #15 Use the narrative
  • #16 Diane Use the narrative
  • #17 Diane Use the narrative
  • #51 Use the narrative