Digital Tools for Peer-Based Reading Recommendations

Learning to read is a fundamental academic skill that begins developing in early childhood. While there is extensive existing research that examines reading development as an individual skill, there is less research on how to nurture motivation and engagement to sustain reading development. In this mixed-methods study, we address this gap in the research by investigating 2 case studies of classrooms that use an online literacy tool, Bookopolis, to foster enthusiasm for reading in 3rd graders. Using analysis of both qualitative interview data and quantitative online recommendation data, we investigate questions of (a) what pedagogical choices teachers make to support the uptake of Bookopolis in their classrooms, (b) what Bookopolis features teachers found most useful, (c) how Bookopolis impacted students’ early literacy engagement from the perspective of the teacher, and (d) what are the patterns of peer-to-peer engagement in the classroom. The findings suggest that teacher pedagogy and peer support are central to how Bookopolis is used in the classroom to foster engagement in reading.