1st Edition
International Handbook of Research in Digital Literacies
Foreword
Acknowledgements
List of Contributors
Introduction
1. Toward a critical, relational, and action-oriented vision of digital literacies
Julie Coiro, Michelle Schira Hagerman, Carita Kiili, Elena Forzani, Jesse R. Sparks and Jill Castek
Section I: Framing The Landscape of Digital Literacies
Overview
2. Toward an Ecosystemic Understanding of Digital Literacy
María Cristina Martínez-Bravo, Charo Sádaba-Chalezquer, and Javier Serrano-Puche
3. Core Skills of Digital Literacy: Constants in an Ever-Changing Digital Landscape
Carolin Hahnel, Natalie Kiesler, Johannes Naumann, Mônica Macedo-Rouet, and Jean-François Rouet
4. Children’s Digital Literacy: Interdisciplinary Insights for Informed, Productive and Safe Practices
Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei, Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett, and Rebecca Ng
5. Reading in Online Digital Spaces: Constructing Meaning Across Complex Comprehension Activities
Byeong-Young Cho, Changhee Lee, Chaeyun Lee, and Dohyeong Kwon
6. Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Researching Multimodality
Blaine E. Smith and Jennifer Rowsell
7. Mapping the "Critical Turn" in Digital Literacies Research
Earl Aguilera, Roberto Santiago de Roock, and Joel Lovos
8. Layers, Levels, Scales: Theorizing Platform-Powered Digital Literacy Automations
Bradley Robinson and Philip T. Nichols
9. AI Literacy: Perspectives Underlying an Essential New Digital Literacy
Victor R. Lee and Duri Long
10. Section I Commentary: Changing the Shape of Digital Literacies
Anastasia Olga Tzirides, Mary Kalantis, and William Cope
Section II: Expanding Conceptions of Digital Literacies
Overview
11. Expanding Data Justice: A Sociomaterial Approach to Personal Data Literacies
Jennifer Kobrin and Laurie Sheldon
12. Remixing the Word and the World: Critical Computational Literacies in Virtual and Physical Spaces
Brian E. Gravel, Clifford H. Lee, Clara Mabour, Eli Tucker-Raymond, and Yume Menghe Xu
13. Critical Digital Maker Literacies: Assembling a Way Forward
Michelle Schira Hagerman, Janette Hughes, Kristiina Kumpulainen, and Cristyne Hébert
14. Teaching Queer Digital Literature: Redefining Capital "L" Literature in a Postdigital World
Amélie Lemieux and James Joshua Coleman
15. Theorizing Everyday Digital Literacies for Adult Learners
Suzanne Smythe and Jen Vanek
16. Within and Outside the Frame: The Nuances of Meaning Making in Digital Environments from the Web Browser to the Metaverse
Brady L. Nash and Csaba Osvath
17. Digital Game Literacies
Alex Bacalja and Sandra Schamroth Abrams
18. Positioning Theory as an Expansive Lens for Research on Digital Literacies
Mary B. McVee, Zhiyi Liu, and Jinging He
19. Section II Commentary: Evolving Paradigms of Digital Literacy: What’s Next?
Pritika Reddy
Section III: Designing for Justice in Digital Literacies
Overview
20. Land-Based Digital Literacies: Indigenous-Informed Pedagogies for Relationality, Learning, and Action
Michelle Jordan, Kevin Brown, and Carlos Messa-Torres
21. Anti-Racist Practices and Pedagogies for and Within Digital Spaces
W. Ian O'Byrne, Shelbie Witte, Detra Price-Dennis, Raúl Alberto Mora,Christian Z. Goering, Jennifer Dail, and Bryan Ripley Crandall
22.Leveraging resources within and across borders: Funds of knowledge, transnationalism, and digital literacies in LatinX families and communities
Silvia Noguerón-Liu, Idalia Nuñez, and Kristen N. Driscoll
23. Digital Spatial Literacies: Empowering Transnational Students to Tell Stories Across School and Community Spaces
Daryl Axelrod, Matthew R. Deroo, and Jennifer Kahn
24. US Adolescents’ Race-related Digital Literacies: Toward a Critical Race Digital Literacy Approach
Brendesha M. Tynes, Matthew Coopilton, Taylor McGee, Stephen M. Gibson, Joseph Kahne, and Devin English
25. Defining Digital Literacies as Becoming in Minority Language Communities
Megan Cotnam-Kappel and Amal Boultif
26. Universal Access for Learning: Digital Literacies for Equity and Inclusion
Sheri Vasinda and Jodi Pilgrim
27. Black Families and Youth’s Counter-Stories Around Digital and STEM Literacies Past and Present
Tisha Lewis Ellison and Marva Solomon
28. Digital Divides: Illuminating Inequities in Access, Literacies, and Opportunities Within and Across Communities
Crystal Beach, Shea Kerkhoff, and Sandra Langer
29. Section III Commentary: Digital Justice: Technologies as Emancipatory Tools
Delicia Tiera Greene
Section IV: Advancing Teaching and Learning in Digital Literacies
Overview
30. Home Literacy Environment and the Development of Critical Reading Skills in the Digital Era
Minna Torppa, Panayiota Kendeou, Mari Manu, Leena Paakkari, Maria Psyridou, Jenni Ruotsalainen, and Jenni Salminen
31. Enhancing Instruction with the Intentional Integration of Digital Literacies
Troy Hicks and Kristen Hawley Turner
32. Children’s Online Reading Practices: Cross-sectional Evidence and Considerations for Instructional Supports
Maja Kerneža and Metka Kordigel Aberšek
33. Supporting Multiple Digital Text Comprehension Among Students with Learning Differences
Eric B. Claravall and Robin Irey
34. Coding Literacy: What is It and How Do We Teach It?
Amy Hutchison and Sue Sentance
35. Exploring Literacy Teacher Educators’ Practices to Improve K-12 Teachers’ Digital Literacies Instruction
Tanya Christ, Poonam Arya, and Ming Ming Chui
36. Centering Playful Learning to Support Digital Literacies
Chu Ly and Elena Forzani
37. Designing Digitally Supported Inquiry-Based Pedagogies to Cultivate Multiple Literacies, Critical Thinking, Disciplinary Learning, and Participatory Action
Julie Coiro, Carita Kiili, Jon Wargo, and Beth Holland
38. Compassionate Learning Design as an Approach to Critical Digital & AI Literacies for Educational Developers and Educators
Maha Bali, Nicola Pallitt, and Daniela Gachago
39. Section IV Commentary: Expansion, Integration and Compassion - Three Themes for Digital Literacies
Luci Pangrazio
Section V: Research Methods and Assessments to Examine and Evaluate Digital Literacies
Overview
40. Digital Literacies for Disciplinary Learning: Theoretical Convergences and Methodological Expansions
Michael Manderino and Jill Castek
41. From Research to Resources: Amplifying Youth Engagement in Digital Media Literacy
Kara Brisson-Boivin and Samantha McAleese
42. Second-Order Discourse Synthesis: How Learners Comprehend and Reconstruct Information from Digital, Multimodal Texts
James R. King, Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, and Leah Burger
43. Toward a Human-Centered Multiscalar Analysis of Digital Literacies for Multilingual Learners: An Abductive Research Method
Dongping Zheng and Guofang Li
44. Performance-Based Assessment of Digital Literacies
Frank Goldhammer, Lena Engelhardt, and Fabian Zehner
45. Designing Personalized Socioculturally Responsive Assessments of Digital Literacies
Jesse R. Sparks, Zuowei Wang, Tenaha O’Reilly, and Eowyn O’Dwyer
46. Teaching and Assessing Digital Multimodal Meaning-Making: Digital Literacies in Assessment Frameworks and Teachers’ Perceptions
Sylvana Sofkova Hashemi, Petra Magnusson, and Anna Åkerfelt
47. A Call for Psychometric Decolonization: Indigenizing Literacy Assessment Through Two-Eyed Seeing and a Digital Literacies Ethos
Julie A. Corrigan, Natasha Ita McDonald, and David Slomp
48. Section V Commentary: The Future of Digital Literacies Research Methods in a Postdigital World
Amy Stornaiuolo
Opening the Conversation
49. An invitation: Co-visioning the future of digital literacies
Jill Castek, Elena Forzani, Jesse R. Sparks, Julie Coiro, Michelle Schira Hagerman, and Carita Kiili
Index
Biography
Jill Castek is Professor of Literacy, Technology & Bi/multilingual Learners and STEM Education in the College of Education at the University of Arizona (USA).
Julie Coiro is Professor of literacy in the Feinstein College of Education at the University of Rhode Island (USA).
Elena E. Forzani is Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development (USA).
Michelle S. Hagerman is Associate Professor of Educational Technologies in the Faculty of Education at Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa (Canada).
Carita Kiili is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Culture at Tampere University (Finland).
Jesse R. Sparks is the Director of Research on Personalized Assessment at the ETS Research Institute (USA).
“Not since the publication of the Handbook of Research on New Literacies (Coiro, Knobel, Lankshear, & Leu, 2008) has there been such an expansive volume dedicated to one of the most foundational and pervasive forms of literacy in modern society—digital literacy. The scholarly team of editors for this groundbreaking volume, The International Handbook of Research in Digital Literacies (Castek, Coiro, Forzani, Kiili, Hagerman, and Sparks), not only ensured that core topics within the rapidly changing world of digital literacy are revisited and updated, but they also invited new chapters and alternative perspectives that capture the complex, global, and sociocultural nature of digital literacies. Indeed, I cannot imagine a more diverse and encompassing collection on the subject of digital literacies than this Handbook. From reading and learning in digital contexts to questions of assessment and social justice, this volume is destined to become a ‘must-have’ classic for anyone seeking insights and guidance on what it means to understand or promote digital literacy.”
Patricia Alexander, Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy and Distinguished University Professor, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology
“This landmark handbook arrives at a pivotal moment in the transformation of literacy scholarship. Building on the intellectual foundations laid by the Handbook of Research on New Literacies, this new volume both honors and extends that legacy—charting how our understandings have shifted from emerging “new” literacies to the nuanced, dynamic, and deeply embedded realities of digital literacies in the 21st century. Centering inclusivity, this distinguished collection brings a bold commitment to global perspectives, and justice-centered inquiry, inviting voices and frameworks too often marginalized in prior handbooks.
Equally important, the volume looks forward. It challenges scholars to move beyond consolidating what we know and moves toward imagining what must come next—foregrounding relational, critical, and action-oriented approaches that will shape research, practice, and policy in an increasingly digital world. This handbook is not simply a synthesis; it is a catalyst for the future of research in digital literacies.”
Fenice B. Boyd, Senior Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, Justice, and Inclusion and Professor, Literacy Education University at Buffalo
“The International Handbook of Research in Digital Literacies brings together an international editorial team of six leading scholars alongside 48 contributing author teams from around the world, all working at the forefront of redefining theory, research, and practice in digital literacies. Reflecting the field’s rich, multidimensional nature, the volume weaves diverse perspectives into a coherent and compelling whole, highlighting both the depth and breadth of digital literacies research. This handbook is distinctly forward-looking. It not only captures dialogue across research communities but also translates those exchanges into accessible, meaningful insights that invite readers to participate in an ongoing scholarly conversation. The volume thoughtfully integrates AI-informed perspectives into an already deeply theorized collection of digital literacies practices, with sustained attention to key themes such as ethics, care, equity, multiliteracies, engagement, criticality, assessment, and cognition. Aligned with their values, the editors have crafted a new kind of handbook—one that serves not only as a repository of knowledge but also as an open and evolving conversation by inviting readers to engage as partners in shaping a complex yet promising future for digital literacies research.”
Colin Harrison, Emeritus Professor of Literacy Studies in Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
“Digital literacies research has long needed a handbook expansive enough to honor its complexity and bold enough to push its boundaries. Grounded in rigorous theoretical and empirical research, the volume brings together diverse global perspectives to illuminate the contested and evolving landscape of digital literacies. By publishing The International Handbook of Research in Digital Literacies as an open-access volume, the editors have made a statement as consequential as the scholarship itself: equitable access to the future of the field is a fundamental right. Researchers, teacher educators, and practitioners will find it an indispensable resource—and, crucially, an available one.”
Robin Jocius, Associate Professor Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Kentucky
“What does literacy mean when AI mediates comprehension, when platforms shape what counts as reading, when data is a text to be interpreted? Castek, Coiro, Forzani, Kiili, Hagerman, and Sparks don't offer a single answer. Instead, they offer a range of perspectives from scholars across disciplines and continents. The result is a handbook that earns its scope by refusing to collapse complexity into consensus, a volume that doesn't just describe digital literacies but enacts the critical, relational values it advocates. In the process, the editors have created an essential reading for anyone who takes seriously the question of what literacy demands of us now.”
Punya Mishra, Director of Innovative Learning Futures at the Learning Engineering Institute and Professor at the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching & Learning Innovation at Arizona State University
“This Handbook will serve as a valuable resource for literacy scholars, teacher educators, and others interested in grappling with what our continuously evolving technologically-driven world means for responsible literate engagement, learning, teaching, and local and global citizenship. The Handbook brings together established and emerging voices from around the world in digital literacies research today. Collectively, these scholars address key topics including justice and equity in digital literacies research and practice and innovative assessments of digital literacy practices and competencies both in the classroom and in large-scale assessment contexts. This Handbook provides a model of the kinds of principled scholarly engagements that are needed now and for the future to critically engage and productively navigate our ever-changing digitized lives.”
Allison Skerrett, Barbie M. & Gary L. Coleman Endowed Professor in Education, Professor Language and Literacy Studies program, The University of Texas at Austin
“What a beautiful and brilliant volume! This handbook stands out for its thoughtful centering of inclusiveness across chapters, honoring the rich theoretical and methodological legacies that have shaped the field of digital literacies while also advancing it in meaningful ways. Its global scope is especially compelling. By bringing together diverse perspectives on key topics such as AI, digital spatial literacies, and antiracist digital literacies, this volume deepens our understanding of how digital literacies can be studied, taught, and enacted for justice. This breadth makes the handbook an invaluable resource for established scholars seeking to extend their work, new researchers looking for a comprehensive and forward-thinking entry point into the field, and educators committed to leveraging the power of digital literacies for all learners.”
Jennifer D. Turner, College of Education ADVANCE Professor for Inclusive Excellence, Professor of Literacy Education, University of Maryland






