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Education Sciences
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Reading and Writing in the Digital Age: Supporting Language and...
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Reading and Writing in the Digital Age: Supporting Language and Literacy Development for Students

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Language and Literacy Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2025) | Viewed by 2958

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Penelope Collins

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Interests: reading development; education for second and dual language learners; early childhood; adolescent literacy; higher education; digital literacy; writing; academic language; literacy interventions
Dr. Dandan Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education and Information Studies, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: digital storybooks; educational technology; English as a second/foreign language; parent-child interactions; language acquisition; reading and writing development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has transformed the landscape of education, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance language and literacy development. From early childhood to higher education, students are increasingly immersed in digital environments, using a diverse range of digital tools and platforms to read, write, and communicate. This Special Issue seeks to explore the complex interplay between digital technologies, pedagogical practices, and language and literacy development, both in formal and informal learning contexts. We encourage submissions that consider the diverse linguistic backgrounds and needs of learners at any age (early childhood–college), as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technologies for students from marginalized communities.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Personalized Learning: How can technology be used to personalize language and literacy instruction, tailoring learning experiences to individual student needs and abilities?
  • Digital Tools and Literacy: What are the most effective digital tools and applications for developing reading comprehension, writing skills, and critical thinking?
  • Critical Digital Literacy: How can educators and parents foster critical thinking and media literacy skills in the digital age, particularly for students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds?
  • Generative AI and Language and Literacy Learning: How can generative AI be used to support students’ language and literacy development, such as including students with disabilities? What pedagogical approaches can be used to foster reading comprehension, writing, or language skills? How can AI be used to support students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds?
  • Digital Literacy and Multilingualism: How can technology be used to support multilingual learners' language and literacy development in both home and school settings? What are the challenges and opportunities for multilingual education in the digital age?
  • Home–School Partnerships: How can technology be used to foster partnerships between home and school to support students' language and literacy development, particularly for multilingual learners and students from diverse cultural backgrounds?
  • Inclusive Education: How can technology be used to create inclusive learning environments for students with diverse needs and abilities, including multilingual learners and students from marginalized communities?
  • Equity and Access: How can technology be used to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to high-quality language and literacy education?
  • The Future of Learning: What are the future trends in language and literacy education in the digital age? How can we prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, particularly in terms of linguistic diversity and digital equity?

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Deadline for abstract submissions: 31 May 2025

Dr. Penelope Collins
Dr. Dandan Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital literacy
  • technology for reading and writing
  • language and literacy development
  • personalized learning
  • multilingualism
  • linguistic diversity
  • AI
  • equity
  • digital tools

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2897 KB  
Article
Multimodal Analyses and Visual Models for Qualitatively Understanding Digital Reading and Writing Processes
by Amanda Yoshiko Shimizu, Michael Havazelet, Blaine E. Smith and Amanda P. Goodwin
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1135; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091135 - 1 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 780
Abstract
As technology continues to shape how students read and write, digital literacy practices have become increasingly multimodal and complex—posing new challenges for researchers seeking to understand these processes in authentic educational settings. This paper presents three qualitative studies that use multimodal analyses and [...] Read more.
As technology continues to shape how students read and write, digital literacy practices have become increasingly multimodal and complex—posing new challenges for researchers seeking to understand these processes in authentic educational settings. This paper presents three qualitative studies that use multimodal analyses and visual modeling to examine digital reading and writing across age groups, learning contexts, and literacy activities. The first study introduces collaborative composing snapshots, a method that visually maps third graders’ digital collaborative writing processes and highlights how young learners blend spoken, written, and visual modes in real-time online collaboration. The second study uses digital reading timescapes to track the multimodal reading behaviors of fifth graders—such as highlighting, re-reading, and gaze patterns—offering insights into how these actions unfold over time to support comprehension. The third study explores multimodal composing timescapes and transmediation visualizations to analyze how bilingual high school students compose across languages and modes, including text, image, and sounds. Together, these innovative methods illustrate the power of multimodal analysis and visual modeling for capturing the complexity of digital literacy development. They offer valuable tools for designing more inclusive, equitable, and developmentally responsive digital learning environments—particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reading and Writing in the Digital Age: Supporting Language and Literacy Development for Students)
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24 pages, 1294 KB  
Article
Student Perceptions of Digital Tools in Language and Translation Programs: A Survey-Based Case Study at the University of Maribor, Slovenia
by Bernarda Leva, Tomaž Onič, Tadej Todorović, Jurij Urh and David Hazemali
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091119 - 28 Aug 2025
Viewed by 929
Abstract
This study investigates how students of English Language and Literature Studies and those of Translation at the University of Maribor, Slovenia, perceive and engage with digital tools in academic and language learning contexts. Although students report high levels of confidence in their digital [...] Read more.
This study investigates how students of English Language and Literature Studies and those of Translation at the University of Maribor, Slovenia, perceive and engage with digital tools in academic and language learning contexts. Although students report high levels of confidence in their digital skills and express positive attitudes towards educational technologies, the survey results reveal a significant gap between perceived competence and actual usage. The study identifies the underutilization of institutional tools, limited awareness of resources available, and a reliance on general-purpose search engines rather than academic platforms. These findings highlight the need for improved digital literacy training, structured onboarding, and integration of digital tools into discipline-specific curricula. By focusing on a student population specializing in linguistics and translation in a Central and Eastern European context, this research contributes a localized perspective to broader discussions on digital transformation in higher education. The study offers applicable recommendations for enhancing institutional strategies and supporting students in becoming competent and critical users of educational technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reading and Writing in the Digital Age: Supporting Language and Literacy Development for Students)
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