Language learners' digital literacies: Focus on students' information literacy and reading practices online.

The widespread use of technology and the Internet have changed many of language learners' everyday practices, including literacies. While there have been many studies with the focus on language learners' digital literacies, few, however, have explored language learners' digital information literacy and online reading practices with the use of social bookmarking tools, especially in a community college setting. We address this gap by investigating community‐college language learners' digital literacies when social bookmarking with the focus on digital information and online reading practices from an ecological perspective. In this qualitative multiple‐case study, the focal participants were five English learners, students in an English as a Second Language writing course in a community college in the northeastern United States. Data collection included interviews, observations, and researchers' e‐journals. Thorough within‐ and cross‐case analysis of data shows that language learners searched for digital texts and evaluated them based on relevance, reliability, interest, language, and importance for them and their learning community in the social bookmarking tool. The participants struggled with the number of results in search engines, keywords, and evaluation of digital texts for relevance and reliability. We show the need for more instruction, support, and guidance of language learners' digital information literacy practices as well as the benefits of providing students with opportunities to read digital texts. Our suggestions for future research include investigating the role of multimodality and other factors that influence language learners' evaluation practices when they look for and read information online. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic: Digital literacies are essential for students' success in the future.Language learners often face challenges when developing digital literacies in the target language.The use of various Web 2.0 tools, such as social networking sites and games, may be beneficial for language learners' development of literacies.More research on language learners' digital information literacy and reading practices online using social bookmarking tools is needed, especially in the school‐ and community‐college contexts. What this paper adds: Our participants are language learners in a community‐college context.Language learners searched for digital texts and evaluated them based on relevance, reliability, interest, language, and importance for them and their learning community in the social bookmarking tool.Language learners struggled with the number of results in search engines, keywords, and evaluation of digital texts for relevance and reliability.Language learners engaged in a number of diverse practices when reading online. The implications of study findings for practitioners: Language learners need more instruction and support when developing digital information literacy.We offer guiding questions and suggestions that might help educators and administrators at the planning stage of their language courses and/or activities with digital information literacy practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]