The evolution of reading in the age of digitisation: an integrative framework for reading research

Abstract

In the course of digitisation, the range of substrates for textual reading is being expanded to include a number of screen-based technologies and reading devices, such as e-readers (e.g. Kindle) and tablets (e.g. iPad). These technologies have distinctly different affordances than paper has. Given that textual reading is at the same time likely to remain important as a cultural practice, and is undergoing massive change as digital screens are supplementing paper -with the potential to replace it as the dominant substrate -there is an urgent need to investigate what effects such change might have on the reading of different kinds of texts, for different purposes. This article proposes the need for an integrative, transdisciplinary model of embodied, textual reading accounting for its psychological, ergonomic, technological, social, cultural and evolutionary aspects. The envisaged model aims to be partly explanatory, in the sense that it aligns and integrates existing knowledge, and partly exploratory, in the sense that it points to blank spots in our knowledge where further research is needed. The model will thus serve to guide the planning of such further research, and to make research more compatible and research outcomes more widely useable.

Systematic review of young children's writing on screen: what do we know and what do we need to know

“…In relation to the approaches towards print and digital literacies, Sefton‐Green et al () write that a mono‐level approach “is somewhat of a paradox in an era reliant on digital devices both in the home and in the knowledge society, where means and forms of communication have diversified” (p. 12). Mangen and van der Weel () call for more interdisciplinary approaches to children's reading on screen and based on our findings, we extend this call to children's writing on screen. Also, participatory literacies could usefully inform future studies of children's writing on screen.…”

Reading and company: embodiment and social space in silent reading practices

“…Finally, heeding Mangen and van der Weel's () call for integrating the social and embodied perspectives on reading through also combining research methods that have traditionally been practised in mutual isolation, we see the present exploratory study as a first step towards research designs wherein participants' reading experience and performance will be observed and measured in controlled or semi‐controlled experimental environments, and across different bodily and social conditions. Informed by qualitative studies like the one presented here, such designs could provide generalizable evidence for improved practice in the fields of literacy, education, library studies and reading promotion.…”

Sociología de la lectura en la Península Ibérica (2005-2012): propuesta metodológica

“…Con el fin de hacer una comparativa en ambos países en los mismos años, estos períodos se irán ajustando. Este criterio de clasificación cronológica responde a que, tras la aparición de la web, las perspectivas metodológicas de estudio de la lectura se han modificado, introduciendo un conjunto de variables ergonómicas, perceptivas, cognoscitivas, emocionales, fenomenológicas, y socioculturales, ofreciendo así una dimensión multidisciplinar de la investigación (Mangen; Van der Weel, 2016). De esta manera, el factor sociocultural adquiere gran importancia en este sentido, motivo por el cual es objeto de este estudio.…”