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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Reading comprehension on the Web

Sixth-grade students are relatively successful with online reading assignments, but previewing and providing them with strategies for online reading improves their comprehension.

By Carrie Bartlett

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There are increasingly more wonderful resources available on the internet for use in the classroom. In the last two years, I have discovered and eagerly introduced my students to websites full of information about authors and historical background for novels we read. Scholastic sponsors reading/writing workshops with authors like Virginia Hamilton and Joan Lowery Nixon. There are many collections of myths and folktales online as well.

As I became more aware of the differences between reading from a book and reading online material with hypertext, though, I wondered if my students possessed the reading skills they needed to be successful with electronic text. I wondered if they knew how to navigate a site using hypertext links. I was curious to find out what was happening to comprehension when I asked students to read electronic text. I wondered if they would get so interested in jumping from one hypertext link to the next that they would fail to really read and think about the material. I wondered if the “hands-on” nature of reading information on a website would be enough to spark enthusiasm and fuel curiosity. In addition to wanting to include exciting resources in my lessons, I felt I had a responsibility to help my students meet the technology standards outlined by the state for sixth graders.

To find out, I closely observed my students while they completed a mystery writing activity on Scholastic.com. This article explains what I learned and how I have been able to use that knowledge to use hypertext reading more effectively in my classroom.

Background

There are several basic differences between reading hypertext on a computer and reading traditional text. (The term hypertext refers to any electronic text presented in a non-sequential format that the reader can manipulate. The most common use of hypertext today is the World Wide Web. Users of the Web will find one web page linked to another, connected by hyperlinks.) These may be obvious to someone who reads a great deal on the Web, but it is helpful to think about them explicitly when we ask students to read online. For example, the reader generally sees less text presented at one time when reading hypertext on a computer than the reader would see on the page of a traditional book.

In addition, when reading hypertext, the reader may also note that there is not usually a clear beginning and end to the text. Whereas readers of traditional print know that the text begins with the first page and follows in a linear fashion until it ends with the last, hypertext allows the reader to choose a unique navigation path through the available information in order to derive meaning from the text. Readers of traditional print count on the author to indicate a logical progression of ideas through the use of subheadings, bold print words, and transitional phrases (Estes & Spires, 2002). In the hypertext format, there is not always a given order to the information provided. This requires the reader to insert him/herself into the text and to construct meaning from it. The reader gains a new authority he/she does not have when reading traditional print material. The reader also has a new responsibility to read the information in a logical order (Patterson, 2000).

Data collection and analysis

I gave students in my second period class an initial survey titled “Techno-survey.” I wanted to know how familiar my students felt they were with computers in general, specifically with reading electronic texts. After examining the survey responses from the entire class, I selected four students who seemed to range from little experience reading online texts to a good bit of experience with electronic text. At a later date, I interviewed these students, asking them to clarify and elaborate on some of their survey comments.

I then asked my students to complete an activity titled “Mystery Writing With Joan Lowery Nixon” on Scholastic.com. While students were at the computers completing the activity, I peeked over their shoulders, recording observations in my journal as I watched them read and choose links. I created a guided activity sheet for students to complete as they navigated the site reading Joan Lowery Nixon’s biography, sample mystery, and tips for writing a mystery. The way students responded to the questions helped me to see whether students understood the organization of the material presented on the website and whether students comprehended the mystery writing tips presented on the website. Again, I focused on the responses provided by those four students and asked for clarification when it was needed.

I also asked each of these four students to rate their interest level for this assignment on a scale of one to four, as well as the difficulty of the assignments on a scale of one to four. For the final piece of data, I asked the AG specialist who comes into my classroom to help me observe the students as they completed reading the revision techniques part of the mystery-writing lesson. Her observations were very helpful to me.

I first examined the surveys completed by my entire second period class. I looked for general trends that might be worth closer examination. I noted these trends in a notebook, and then located correlating comments made by the students I interviewed. I spent a great deal of time analyzing the activity sheet students completed along with the Scholastic.com mystery-writing lesson. I paid close attention to the responses of the four students I focused on, considering comments they had added in interviews. I looked at observation notes made by the AG specialist when she observed my students reading online for the mystery-writing activity. Then, I reviewed my research log to note correlations between what I had observed and what I had read.

I created four categories in which I organized my data. The categories are:

  1. interest level in online reading assignments
  2. the difficulties/challenges for students reading electronic text with hyperlinks
  3. in-depth analysis of online mystery assignment
  4. good practices students used for reading electronic text

Findings

It seems that students maintained a high level of interest in the online mystery lesson. Further evidence indicates that this high interest carries over to any opportunity to learn from reading electronic text. When I interviewed the four students in my focus group, I asked them to rate their interest in the activity on a scale of one (low) to four (high). Two students gave the activity a three and two students gave it a four. They all indicated that learning to write a mystery online was far better than reading about the process in a textbook. In an interview, Whitney shared the following opinion, “When I read a book, I get bored and want to fall asleep. When I’m on the computer, I don’t want to sleep.”

It also seems that although they may have had some frustration, none of my students felt completely overwhelmed by an online reading assignment. My students have grown up with the Web, and whether or not they perceive the reading challenges electronic text presents, they are not intimidated by it. However, all four students in my focus group mentioned that it was frustrating when they lost their place in the text after scrolling down the page. Some mentioned using the cursor to try to keep their place in the reading. Kevin shared another common frustration: “At my old school, I got lost when I had to type in the website URL. I’m slow at typing.” I can only alleviate this frustration by bookmarking sites for the students. He is not alone in getting frustrated at the precarious process of typing in a long website address.

The mystery website was organized into a five-step process. In order for students to successfully locate and understand the information I expected them to acquire from the site, it was necessary that they perceive this organization. When I collected and analyzed the completed activity sheets, I noted that about two-thirds of students in my second period class had some difficulty determining how the website was organized. These students listed less significant writing tips that were under one of the steps instead of naming the major steps. I made the following note in my observation log as I watched Kevin try to locate the Joan Lowery Nixon’s autobiographical information:

Kevin goes directly to Step 2 of the writing process, not pausing to read the introduction on the first page of the site. He turns to me and says that these steps don’t have anything to do with the mystery assignment. He aimlessly wanders through the site, clicking on different links for a few minutes. Finally, I direct him back to the first page and ask him to read the directions. On his own, he was not successful in obtaining the required information because he wasn’t able to determine the organization of the hypertext.

Approximately one-third of these students, however, had no trouble understanding that the information on the website had been organized into a five-step process.

Next, I analyzed the activity sheets to see how many students showed evidence of comprehending the material presented in the website. Just three students showed me little evidence of in-depth learning in their responses to the questions on the activity sheet. About one-third showed some evidence of in-depth learning, and a little more than a third of the students showed good evidence of in-depth learning through their responses. It is important to note that the three students who showed little evidence of in-depth learning often have difficulty comprehending what they read and relating that information in writing. There were four students in the class who did not seem to understand how the information was organized, but still showed evidence of having learned a good bit from the mystery-writing site.

Some of my observations as well as those of the AG specialist also show evidence of students using reading practices appropriate for electronic text. I have begun a list of good reading practices I have seen students using or heard them describe that help students to read electronic text successfully. These include looking at all parts of the screen and making special note of captions. In an interview, Kay explained to me, “I think you’re supposed to skim to find what you’re looking for.” Two other students I observed were sitting together at one computer, and they were sharing good tips with each other about how to successfully navigate the site. They took turns moving the cursor with the mouse to keep from losing their places while reading text on the computer screen. They also confidently used the “back” button to refer back to an earlier page. There was a navigation bar on the website that listed the five steps of the writing process and had links to information needed for each step in the writing process. I noted that these two students also successfully used this navigation bar as well. Margaret Lowry noted another good reading practice: students were asking questions for clarification on certain parts of the reading assignment. She commented that the questions students were asking her were very detailed and indicated that they had an understanding of the material they had read on the website.

Implications for teaching

I have discovered the importance of allowing students the opportunity to join in a dialogue about the differences between reading hypertext and traditional text, as suggested in the Patterson article in English Journal. Some of my students were more comfortable with the assignment than others. A group dialogue might have been beneficial. I think that teachers need to preview electronic text with students, just as they would preview a traditional text. I could print out the home page of a website next time, and help my students to become familiar with the organization of the content. I could also project the site onto the overhead screen with the LCD projection system.

I have developed a list of good reading practices I observed students using as they navigated the Scholastic.com mystery site and read the assigned material, and I would like to share them with my students prior to their next hypertext reading assignment. The list includes keeping one’s place in the text by moving the cursor, trying to determine the organization of the site initially, asking questions for clarification, and using navigational tools provided on a website.

I am eager to see how well students will perform when I provide them with this information up front. After completing my study, I have a renewed sense of enthusiasm for sharing online resources with my students as a result of my conversations with students about their interests in the World Wide Web.

References

  • Bitter, G. G. and Pierson, M. E. (1999). “Feeling at Home on the Internet.” In Using Technology in the Classroom (73–86). Boston, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon.
  • Estes, T. H. and Spires, H. A. (2002). “Reading in Web-Based Environments.” In C. C. Block and M. Pressley (eds.), Comprehension Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices (115–125). New York: The Guilford Press.
  • Mystery Writing with Joan Nixon. Retrieved from Scholastic.com on December 15, 2002.
  • Patterson, N. (2000). “Hypertext and the Changing Roles of Readers.” English Journal, 90(2), 74–80.