Reading on the Internet: Realizing and constructing potential texts

Abstract

Successful Internet reading requires making strategic decisions about what texts to read and a sequence for reading them, all in accordance with readers' goals. In this paper, we describe the process of realizing and constructing potential texts as an important and critical part of successful Internet reading and use verbal report data to examine such strategic actions by readers in the complex environments of the Internet. We focus on Amalie (pseudonym), a participant in a study of adolescents' Internet reading strategy use. Amalie's verbal reports describe representative cognitive and metacognitive processes that strategic high-school readers use as they negotiate the Internet to locate, choose, and use multiple sources. We conclude with a consideration of classroom implications in the era of Common Core State Standards for helping students become accomplished Internet readers.