Designing and Iteratively Refining a Teacher-Led Digital Academic Reading Ecosystem: A Design-Based Research Approach to Academic Literacy Development in an Urban Public Senior High School
Abstract
This qualitative Design-Based Research study designed and iteratively refined a teacher-led digital academic reading ecosystem to support academic literacy among Grade 12 learners at Jose V. Palma Senior High School during Academic Year 2026–2027. It addressed persistent difficulties involving academic vocabulary, complex texts, comprehension, critical analysis, evidence use, learner confidence, and participation. The study was informed by Sociocultural Theory, Connectivism, and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Evidence was generated through teacher interviews, learner focus-group discussions, classroom observations, researcher reflections, and available digital learning artifacts. Analysis involved coding, thematic development, constant comparison, and cross-cycle examination of continuities, changes, challenges, and design revisions. Findings showed that learners initially experienced academic reading as difficult, intimidating, and frequently completion-oriented. Across the implementation cycles, learners increasingly used previewing, annotation, rereading, summarizing, vocabulary resources, source comparison, collaborative discussion, and textual evidence. Teacher facilitation remained central through modeling, guided questioning, feedback, monitoring, differentiation, and the gradual transfer of responsibility. Digital tools were most productive when they supported clearly defined reading purposes and were adapted to learner needs, disciplinary demands, device access, connectivity, and instructional time. Iterative revisions included clearer instructions, shorter or segmented texts, stronger vocabulary and visual supports, additional formative assessment, and expanded collaborative activities. The study produced a refined teacher-led digital academic reading ecosystem and the Context-Responsive Digital Academic Reading Ecosystem Framework. It concludes that academic literacy development in digitally mediated classrooms depends on purposeful pedagogy, teacher mediation, learner agency, collaboration, contextual responsiveness, and continuous evidence-informed refinement.