From Connected Learning to Connected Reading

In a digital age texts are available in multiple formats and across various technologies. Readers must make choices about what, where, and how to read. Teens, in particular, have embraced digital tools, yet we do not know much about their reading practices. This study explored the reading lives of adolescents through a survey of 804 students and 23 in-depth interviews. Results indicated that teens are connected readers—using the practices of encountering, engaging, and evaluating the texts they read—yet they varied in their application of critical-reading strategies. This study presents a theory of connected reading that draws upon connected learning principles to understand the practices of adolescent readers.