Advancing reading engagement and achievement through personal digital inquiry, critical literacy, and skilful argumentation

Abstract

This chapter outlines three interconnected lines of work conducted in the USA to advance reading engagement and achievement from a new literacies perspective of online research and comprehension. These areas focus on developmentally appropriate practices for supporting educators and learners as they use the Internet for personal inquiry, active citizenship, and the exploration of controversial issues from multiple perspectives. Emerging work in all three areas can help re-envision reading instruction to better address continuing gaps in achievement and motivation among diverse learners and the cultural shift that new technologies and online inquiry have brought to our conceptions of teaching and learning in a digital age.