Digital Social Reading in Second Language Learning and Teaching: Synthesis of Current Research and Pedagogical Practices

• Main Authors: Ng, Chiew Hong, Cheung, Yin Ling
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: digital social reading; second language; pedagogical practices; theories and conceptual foundations; Education; Language and Literacy Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol3/iss1/4; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/jeal/article/1079/viewcontent/3ng_revised.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Growing interest in digital social reading (DSR) has led to research on the use of social annotations in digital learning but there is yet to be a comprehensive review specifically on DSR for second language (L2). This paper aims to fill the gap by synthesizing 28 research papers published in English-medium refereed journals from 2010 to 2022 to derive these conclusions: (1) The predominant platforms or applications and text types for DSR were Google Docs, eComma, Hylighter, Perusall and SocialBook. (2) The main L2 studied was English and the majority of the studies were conducted at the university level. Activities/ tasks/pedagogical practices involved social reading/digital social reading, social annotation, annotating texts, collaborative reading and enhancement of reading comprehension and all studies had positive outcomes for DSR applications. (3) The theories and conceptual foundations for exploring DSR were related to reading, the social aspect of reading and the digital environment of DSR. Conclusions drawn from the analysis of the data are used to make recommendations in terms of pedagogical practices using DSR to enhance learning and teaching for L2 learners and to highlight theoretical frameworks and areas of research in DSR for educators and researchers.