Advancing third graders’ reading comprehension through collaborative Knowledge Building: A comparative study in Taiwan

In the digital age, reading literacy, and particularly, higher-level reading comprehension involved in making sense of information from multiple sources online is an important educational challenge. This study explores designs for teaching reading to third graders in Taiwan. Over the course of a semester, the experimental group engaged in an innovative technology-supported approach called Knowledge Building (KB), while the comparison group engaged in the traditional approach of direct instruction. Statistical analyses reveal that students in the KB class outperformed their counterparts on the PIRLS reading assessment at the end of the semester. Additional quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that the use of Knowledge Forum technology in the KB class supported the development of higher-level reading comprehension skills through sustaining creative, collaborative work with ideas. Implications for teaching new literacies and digital competencies in computer-supported collaborative learning environments are discussed.