Engaged Readers in the New Media Age

Authors: Andy Whelan, PhD Student, Hibernia College/Plymouth University

LEARNERS IN THE NEW MEDIA AGE This research investigates engagement in reading for the Irish primary school learner in the context of the new media age and forms the basis of doctoral research for the Hibernia College PhD Programme. • Millennial learners are expected to develop expertise in various areas; regulate their

own learning and motivation; and adjust these expertise depending on the task at hand (Rueda, 2011).

• Learners must encompass a range of skills and competencies, as illustrated in Figure 1: 21st Century Learner. The focus of this research will be on the engaged thinker, and more specifically, the engaged reader.

• Studies have indicated that reading achievement and behavioural engagement are mutually influential (Guthrie, 2012).

• Studies show that the engaged reader demonstrates effective and critical engagement, not only in reading, but in all media forms (Leu, 2004).

ENGAGEMENT IN READING • Guthrie (2012) characterised engagement in reading as: cognitive; emotional; behavioural

interest; dedication to reading. • Engagement in reading is a strong predictor of reading achievement (OECD, 2010). • Engagement in reading is thought to be a stronger predictor of reading achievement than

socio-economic status (Cummins, 2011). • The Matthew Effect states that learners who read more get better, and those that do not,

get worse (Gee, 2004).

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • What skills and competencies do engaged Irish primary school readers display in the new

media age? • How do competent readers negotiate between engaged reading and new media forms? • In what ways do the skills and competencies of the engaged reader transfer to other media

forms?

SELECTED REFERENCES Cummins, J. (2011). Literacy engagement. The Reading Teacher, 65(2), 142-146. Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling: Psychology Press. Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., & You, W. (2012). Instructional contexts for engagement and achievement in reading Handbook of research on student engagement (601-634). Leu, D. J., Kinzer, C. K., Coiro, J. L., & Cammack, D. W. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies. Theoretical models and processes of reading, 5(1), 1570-1613. Wu, J. Y. (2014). Gender differences in online reading engagement, metacognitive strategies, navigation skills and reading literacy. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(3), 252-271. Rueda, R. (2011). Cultural perspectives in reading: theory and research. Handbook of reading research, 4, 84-104.

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Jemimah Bailey and Teresa Whitaker of Hibernia College, and Michael Hallissy, Clare Dowdall and Linda La Velle of the supervisory team. Further information: andrewwhelan@hiberniacollege.net or andrew.whelan@plymouth.ac.uk

FUTURE WORK The research findings will inform educational policy and practitioners and lead to a pilot scheme to equip Irish primary school learners to maximise reading engagement in the new media age.

Engagement is key to the 21st Century learner

Figure 1: 21st Century Learner Alberta Education (2011)

WHY DO WE NEED ENGAGED READERS? • The broad concern with learners in the new media age is that they may be engaging

passively and superficially in media. They may fail to recognize the cognitive and motivational demands for engaging in higher-order thinking and deep-level processing (Alexander, 2012).

• The suggestion is that not only will these learners fail to engage with, and achieve in reading, but that they will lack the perquisite skills and motivations needed to be engaged with both traditional and new forms of reading (Wu, 2014).

• Students increasingly spend their time engaged in activities based on the image, rather than on the written word (Kress, 2009).

• The 2009 PISA survey found that in Ireland, 48% of males students and 36% of female students reported that they did not engage in reading for enjoyment.

• This research will examine engagement in reading in the context of the new media age for the Irish Primary School learner. The key concern is that Irish Students are not engaged readers.

Figure 2 Ken Robinson, 'Changing Paradigms,' (2008)

RESEARCH METHODS The research will investigate the competencies, skills, motivations and levels of engagement of Irish primary school readers. The research will form an in-depth case study of competent, individual readers. Participants will be identified through convenience sampling. Data concerning their daily and weekly reading habits will be gathered through methodological triangulation, a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as interview and questionnaire. The data will be gathered and analysed critically, and the results discussed. The discussion will consider how learners can negotiate effectively between engaged reading and other media forms.