Strategies for Internet Reading with Different Reading Purposes: A Descriptive Study of Twelve Good Internet Readers

Abstract

This descriptive study explored different reading strategies 12 adult good Internet readers used while doing 3 Internet reading tasks, each with a different reading purpose: seeking specific information, acquiring general knowledge, and being entertained. This study investigated whether readers' strategies differed by reading purpose. Purposive selection was used in selecting adult, good, experienced Internet readers to participate in the study. The design of the study allowed for inclusion of additional participants if it was found that new reading strategies were still being identified by the 12 th reader (they were not). Data were collected through navigational records and participants' stimulated recall following the three tasks about their reading process. More than 50 strategies were identified. Some strategies were used across purposes; others were not. In addition, readers adopted different patterns of reading strategies for different reading purposes. Results of the study suggest that it may be helpful to teach developing Internet readers to be aware of their purposes for Internet reading, and to use different Internet reading strategies because of their purpose for reading, though future research needs to be conducted to ascertain whether teaching these strategies really results in improved Internet reading skills. Results of the study also add to the research base regarding which Internet reading strategies may be worth teaching.

Predicting Reading Comprehension on the Internet

“…Yet findings from this study also introduce the possibility that although some aspects of online reading comprehension may be uniquely new, many other online reading skills and strategies may reflect similar and more complex versions of more traditionally conceived offline reading comprehension skills and strategies (also see Afflerbach & Cho, 2008Schmar-Dobler, 2003;Zhang & Duke, 2008). Consequently, as we seek to more precisely define the new literacies of online reading comprehension, we might consider how best to build on and expand traditional conceptions of offline reading comprehension in ways that help us truly appreciate the complexities of those aspects of Internet reading that appear to be uniquely new and different.…”

“…Coiro and Dobler (2004) replicated their study of 11 skilled Internet readers with 10 less-skilled Internet readers and observed that although these strategy applications occurred less often among less skilled online readers, these same three themes were revealed in their reading processes. Zhang and Duke (2008) examined the different reading strategies used by 12 skilled adult Internet readers while reading on the Internet for three different purposes, including seeking specific information, acquiring general knowledge, and being entertained. They found that readers reportedly adopted different patterns of both familiar (e.g., printed) and new Internet reading strategies for different reading purposes.…”

Developing Online Reading Comprehension: Changes, Challenges, and Consequences

“…Zhang and Duke (2008) also note the difference between reader characteristics depending on the nature of the task. For example, online readers may process text differently if browsing for recreational purposes, searching for specific information or reading to develop conceptual knowledge.…”

“…Emerging research suggests that online reading skills are built on related processing and cognitive print-based skills, such as automaticity in decoding, word recognition and reading fluency. However, online reading introduces additional complexities to the acts of reading and higher levels of strategic processing, cognitive skills and strategies and affective dimensions may be required to fully exploit the Internet's potential as a tool for literacy and learning (Afflerbach & Cho, 2009a;Coiro, 2007;Hartman, Morsink, & Zheng, 2010;IRA, 2009;RAND Reading Study Group, 2002;Zhang & Duke, 2008). The literature seems to suggest that reading strategies and reading skills are at opposite ends of a continuum.…”

South Korean Teachers’ Perceptions of Integrating Information and Communication Technologies into Literacy Instruction

“…A prominent example is the Internet, which requires unique strategies for locating (e.g., [25,26]) and evaluating [27] information. Supporting this premise is the low correlation between assessments of reading comprehension of printed texts when compared to similar textual information presented digitally on the Internet [28].…”