Swedish pupils need support to fully understand what they read online. They often have great knowledge and abilities, but must be given tools to interpret texts in a digital environment. These are the findings of new research at ý.
"Reading a printed text and reading a text online entail different types of challenges, and pupils must be able to work with both text types. You can’t just focus on printed texts and think that the same reading comprehension applies to online texts, says Marie Wejrum who just completed her PhD with the thesis Reading Beside the Lines: Lower Secondary Students’ Critical Reading of Digital Multimodal Argumentative Texts."
Competent pupils
In her research, Marie looks at how pupils in lower secondary school absorb and talk about argumentative texts online. And although pupils may excel in source criticism and reading comprehension, they also need to develop skills to interpret a text as a whole in a digital environment. This includes understanding how images, links and videos, which are often integrated into online texts, influence the overall context and reading experience.
"The pupils are so competent, they know so much and reason so wisely together. Yet they often trust what they read, says Marie."
She points out that reading is affected by whether or not the pupil becomes invested in the topic of the text.
"If you find yourself agreeing with the arguments presented in a text and feel emotionally invested in the topic, the identity of the sender becomes less important."
Conscious text consumers
But even if pupils need more guidance and support to understand and interpret online texts, they are by no means passive consumers who are overwhelmed by information without control.
"I have seen that young people consume media in conscious and intricate ways. They find their own methods to use media in a way that suit them. They are certainly not passive, says Marie."
She believes these skills could be used much more in the classroom. The pupils’ knowledge can be used in teaching by working together with texts and analyses. The conversation itself, and shared knowledge between the pupils, is a key factor which Marie points to in her research.
Marie is aware that her research is presented at a time when the question of how digital tools should be used in school is high on the agenda.
"I hope I can contribute with a slightly different perspective. We can’t just focus on printed texts and leave the digital outside. We must do both to prepare pupils for the future, she says."
Marie Wejrum successfully completed her PhD in Pedagogical Work at ý on 20 September 2024 with her thesis “Reading Beside the Lines: Lower Secondary Students’ Critical Reading of Digital Multimodal Argumentative Texts”. You can find the doctoral thesis in full here:
