Using Epistemic Network Analysis to Visually Map a Metacognitive Continuum of Urban Fourth Graders’ Strategies for Navigating Multimodal Science Texts

This convergent mixed-methods study investigated what urban fourth-grade students self-reported for navigating multimodal science books. Reported strategies included general reading processes, clarifying understanding, selecting portions to read, choosing an order to read the text, and interpreting the process in the text. A range of metacognitive awareness in navigating multimodal science books included categories of Limited, Novice, Competent, and Expert. Using Epistemic Network Analysis to visually map the cognitive processes students reported, we found urban students within this study relied on general literacy strategies including comprehension strategies, traditional text directionality, and identifying informational text features. Fewer students reported using more sophisticated strategies for interpreting multimodal science books, such as previewing or integrating written text and visual representations. This study provides evidence that disciplinary literacy instruction should go beyond general literacy strategies to equip students with more specific strategies for integrating the written text and visual representations in multimodal science texts.