Reading Comprehension on the Internet 1 Running Head: Reading comprehension on the Internet Reading comprehension on the Internet: Exploring the online comprehension strategies used by sixth-grade skilled readers to search for and locate information on th

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the nature of reading comprehension processes while reading on the Internet. Eleven sixth-grade students with the highest combination of standardized reading scores, reading report card grades, and Internet reading experiences were selected from a population of 150 sixth-graders in three different middle schools in central and northeastern United States. These eleven skilled readers were then asked to meet individually with a researcher and complete two separate reading tasks: First, students read within one multilayered website in search of answers to seven literal and inferential level comprehension questions. Later, in a second session, participants used the Yahooligans search engine to locate answers to two open-ended questions related to the sixth grade curriculum. Students answered specific questions about their strategy use in a follow-up interview after each reading session. Qualitative analysis evolved through four distinct phases, each of which involved reviewing data from think-aloud protocols, field observations, and semi-structured interviews to provide insights into the nature of online reading comprehension. Findings suggested that successful Internet reading experiences appeared to simultaneously require both similar and more complex applications of (1) prior knowledge sources; (2) inferential reasoning strategies; and (3) self-regulated reading processes. The authors suggest that reading Internet text prompts a process of self-directed text construction that may explain the additional complexities of online reading comprehension. Implications for literacy theory, future research, and classroom instruction are discussed. Reading Comprehension on the Internet 3 A great deal is known about the comprehension strategies that skilled readers use as they read within traditional text environments (National Institute of Child Health and Huma