THE NATURE AND POTENTIAL OF DIGITAL COLLABORATIVE READING PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING EFL PROFICIENCY

This study investigates the integration of a digital annotation tool (DAT) into an advancedEnglish as a foreign language reading course. Informed by the recent research, the goals ofthe study are to exhibit the nature of L2 learners’ engagement in digital social readingpractices and illustrate the linguistic benefits of such practices for L2 learning from a learnerperspective. In response to these objectives, a mixed-method research was employed. Theanalysis of the data including digital annotations and learners’ reflection journals reveal thatlearners’ engagement within collaborative reading environments is linked to factors such asthe quality of posts rather than the quantity. In terms of perceived linguistic gains, thefindings indicate that digital collaborative reading enabled learners to achieve a perceiveddevelopment in reading, writing, and vocabulary. The study concludes by suggesting furtherresearch to examine the use of DAT in L2 teaching and learning settings, which highlight theextent of factors influencing L2 learners’ engagement in digital social reading practices.