A Call for Research! | W8 Q1 | Discussion

A common theme among this week’s readings was about needing to think about online reading strategies using complex frameworks, such as those that account for situations/context, the type of learners or users, and specific technologies. In other words, technologies (i.e. internet, online reading) do not seem to be impacting all learners in the same way and we also need to consider the context in which students are learning. Rich (2008) discusses how reading has shifted from books to other online resources, and this isn’t inherently a bad thing, particularly for students from low-income communities who otherwise would not be be reading in their free time. Tierney (2009) asserts this by stating “I would like to see a consideration of the extension of learning in more complex terms, consistent with the notions of ill-structured knowledge domains presented by Spiro and his colleagues and tied to the research on sociocultural dimensions of learning across networks of learners and digital spaces” (p. 327)

Considering effective research practices, researchers should continue to use both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand how technologies and new literacies are impacting students. Qualitative work will especially promote the development of new theories in the modern age. Further, researchers should consider differential and situational factors when examining the impact of technology on students. Corio et al. (2009) further suggests that in order to promote effective reading comprehension strategies we need to understand how to help students learn reading comprehension in challenging and complex environments.