Dialectical reading in the Web environment: findings from a case study

پژوهشنامه کتابداری و اطلاع رسانی

Article 12, Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 6, March 2013, Pages 205-224   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/riis.v3i1.13579

Authors

hamid keshavarz¹; amir vafaeian^{* 2}

¹Knowledge & Information Science Department, Faculty member of Semnan University, Iran

²Master of Knowledge & Information Science, from ShahidBeheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose: Initially, reading challenges related to the web environment will be discussed in the current paper followed by describing four reading modes including exegetical, dogmatic, agnostic and dialectical which have been proposed by Walter Kaufman. The research aimed to examine such modes of reading in the Web environment via a questionnaire distributed among the postgraduate students in Shahed University of Tehran, IRAN.

Methodology: By stratified-random sampling method, 266 students were selected as the statistical population of the research from a population of 800 students.

Findings: By descriptive and nonparametric statistical analysis, the finding of the research indicate that the students have respectively used agnostic (52.6 %), dialectical (33.5 %), dogmatic (11.3 %) and finally exegetical (2.6 %) reading modes in the reading of web resources. More statistical analyses according to the gender, faculty and level of students showed that dialectical reading, as the ideal mode of reading, is the secondary mode after the agnostic one. Paper recommends the necessity of instructing advanced information literacy and critical thinking skills for dialectical .The literature review shows that the current research is the first one regarding dialectical reading mode in the Web environment.

Keywords

Web reading; Dialectical reading; Web literacy; Information literacy; Critical thinking

References

Berglund, Y., Morrison, A., Wilson, R. & Wynne, M. (2004). An investigation into free e-books. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from http://eprints.ouls.ox.ac.uk/archive/00000732/01/FreeEbooks.pdf

Bruce, B.C. (2000). Credibility of the web: Why we need dialectical reading. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 34 (1), 97–109.

Clyde, L.A.(2005). Electronic books, Teacher Librarian, 32(5), 45-47.

Doty, D., Popplewell, S. & Byers, G. (2001). Interactive CD- ROM story books and young readers’ reading comprehension. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(4(, 374-384.

Ferris, Pixie (1997). Writing in cyberspace. CMC Magnzine. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1997/jun/ferris.html 

Gilster, Paul.  (1997). Digital literacy. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Grimshaw, S., Dungworth, N., McKnight, C. & Morris, A. (2007). Electronic books: children’s reading and comprehension. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(4), 583-99.

Kang, Y. Y., Wang, M. J., & Lin, R. T. (2009). Usability evaluation of e-books. Displays, 30(2), 49-52.

Kaufmann, W. (1977). The future of the humanities. New York: Reader’s Digest Press.

Metzger, M. J. (2007). Making sense of credibility on the Web: Models for evaluating online information and recommendations for future research. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(13), 2078-2091.

Noyes, J., & Garland, K. (2006). Explaining students’ attitudes toward books and computers. Computers in Human Behavior, 22(3), 351-63.

Robins, D., Holmes, J. & Stansbury, M. (2010), “Consumer health information on the web: The relationship of visual design and perceptions of credibility”, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 61(1), pp. 13-29.

Shabani, A; Naderi, F. & Abedi, M.R. (2012). Reading Behavior of Graduate Students in Digital Environment at University of Isfahan through 2008-2009: A Case Study, International Journal of Information Science and Management, 10(1), 1-14.

Sharp, J. E. M. (2005). Teaching toolbox-high-tech textbooks. ASEE PRISM.

Sorapure, M., Inglesby, P., & Yatchisin, G. (1998). Web literacy: Challenges and opportunities for research in a new medium, Computers and Composition, 15, 409-424.

Vernon, R. F. (2006). Teaching notes: paper or pixels? An inquiry into how students adapt to Online textbooks. Journal of Social Work Education, 42(2), 417-427.

Yates, E. (2001). E-books: a beginner’s guide. in Rao, S. S. (2004). E-book technologies in Education and India’s readiness. Program, 38(4), 257-67.