Assessing reading and online research comprehension: Do difficulties in attention and executive function matter?

Online Research and Comprehension Performance Profiles Among Sixth‐Grade Students, Including Those with Reading Difficulties and/or Attention and Executive Function Difficulties

“…In addition, students with teacher-rated attention and EF difficulties faced challenges online, as has also been shown in previous studies (Caccia et al, 2019;Kanniainen et al, 2021). Interestingly, the proportion of students with difficulties in attention and EF in the profile of very poor performers was much higher than the proportion of students with reading difficulties.…”

“…For example, Caccia et al (2019) found that both students’ self‐reported and measured attention and EF difficulties—more specifically concentration difficulties—were associated with their online reading performance. Further, in a study by Kanniainen et al (2021), teacher‐reported difficulties in students’ attentional processes, execution of actions, and inhibition were associated with their ORC performance in a simulated Internet environment. In web‐based reading environments, students are required to go beyond processing a single linear text and shift their attention between multiple texts and different ORC processes.…”

“…First, researchers have examined how inter‐individual differences, such as offline reading skills and prior knowledge, are associated with students’ online reading performance (e.g., Coiro, 2011; Kanniainen et al, 2019; Salmerón et al, 2018) but have rarely employed a person‐centered approach that moves beyond the effects of single variables and characteristics to study multifaceted individual differences (Cromley, 2020). Second, most of the studies have focused on regular learners (Anmarkrud et al, 2018), except for a few studies concerning individuals with reading difficulties (Andresen et al, 2019a; Andresen et al, 2019b; Castek et al, 2011; Henry et al, 2012) or difficulties in attention and executive function (EF) (Caccia et al, 2019; Kanniainen et al, 2021). Moreover, to our knowledge, no previous studies have addressed learners’ online research and comprehension (ORC) performance among individuals with comorbid—i.e., overlapping and co‐occurring—difficulties in reading as well as attention and EF.…”

Reading and Online Research Comprehension: A Review of the Theory and Its Implications for Reading Comprehension Learning in the New Literacy Era

“…Leu from 2007-2015, as well as the development of the latest term into RORC. [17]. In addition, the implications of the analytical review results related to the theory on learning to read and comprehension in the new literacy era were also analyzed.…”

“…In the new literacy era, reading comprehension activities are projected on a problembased research process that includes new skills, strategies, and social practices as someone uses the internet to solve a problem and answer everyday questions [6]. This concept was then introduced by Leu [27] as online research and comprehension (ORC) and was developed into reading and online research comprehension (RORC) by Kanniainen [17].…”