Literacy Learning on the Net: An Exploratory Study

Mary L. McNabb
Bryan Hassel
Lucy Steiner

Our findings indicate a number of benefits that study participants associate with Internet use. Teachers surveyed said that Internet-based learning activities make reading enjoyable for students, foster use of critical reading skills, and promote reading fluency. They also observe that these activities enhance understanding of content and require well-developed traditional literacy skills in the areas of vocabulary, writing, and comprehension. Results also indicate that higher order literacy skills -- such as organizing information according to research questions, comparing and contrasting, and synthesizing information into new and meaningful structures -- are important when students engage in Internet-based literacy activities.

The study results also suggest that teachers need to have well-developed self-directed learning habits themselves in order to research, develop, and implement Internet-based curricular activities. They need preservice and inservice preparation focused on strategies for fostering students’ learning habits. Effective instructional use of the Internet requires a shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered practices.

Links below provide navigation to the main sections of the article:

• Background
• Methods
• Reasons for Using the Internet in Education
• Internet-Based Activities for Literacy Learning
• Professional Development of Teachers
• Reflections on the Findings
• References

About the Authors

Mary McNabb (e-mail mlmcnabb@msn.com) is a research and development consultant in the area of educational technology. She has served as a research scientist at the University of Denver (Colorado, USA) Research Institute, where she codirected a project focused on educational uses of the Internet under the U.S. Department of Education’s “Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology” initiative. She has also been director of applied research in educational technology for the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, where she focused on school improvement planning and implementation, professional development, and evaluation.

Bryan Hassel (e-mail bryan_hassel@publicimpact.com) directs Public Impact, an education research and consulting organization in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and has conducted extensive research on comprehensive school reform, school accountability systems, and charter schools. He is the author of The Charter School Challenge: Avoiding the Pitfalls, Fulfilling the Promise (Brookings Institution, 1999).

Lucy Steiner is a researcher and consultant with Public Impact. Her recent work includes developing content for the U.S. Department of Education website and for the North Central Regional Education Laboratory’s Web source on professional development. A former high school English teacher, she holds a master’s degree in education and social policy from Northwestern University.

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Authors’ note: The study described in this article was supported by funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, under contract number RJ96006301.

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Citation: McNabb, M.L., Hassel, B., & Steiner, L. (2002, June). Literacy learning on the Net: An exploratory study. Reading Online, 5(10). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=mcnabb/index.html

Reading Online, www.readingonline.org   ISSN 1096-1232
Posted June 2002
© 2002 North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Adapted with permission from Literacy Learning on the Net: An Exploratory Study, © 2000 NCREL.