Strategies for Internet Reading with Different Reading Purposes: A Descriptive Study of Twelve Good Internet Readers

摘要

This descriptive study explored different reading strategies 12 adult good Internet readers used while doing 3 Internet reading tasks, each with a different reading purpose: seeking specific information, acquiring general knowledge, and being entertained. This study investigated whether readers' strategies differed by reading purpose. Purposive selection was used in selecting adult, good, experienced Internet readers to participate in the study. The design of the study allowed for inclusion of additional participants if it was found that new reading strategies were still being identified by the 12th reader (they were not). Data were collected through navigational records and participants' stimulated recall following the three tasks about their reading process. More than 50 strategies were identified. Some strategies were used across purposes; others were not. In addition, readers adopted different patterns of reading strategies for different reading purposes. Results of the study suggest that it may be helpful to teach developing Internet readers to be aware of their purposes for Internet reading, and to use different Internet reading strategies because of their purpose for reading, though future research needs to be conducted to ascertain whether teaching these strategies really results in improved Internet reading skills. Results of the study also add to the research base regarding which Internet reading strategies may be worth teaching.