ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Page 18
www.rsisinternational.org
The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension
*1
Siti Fauziana Zakaria,
2
Jacinta Ann Xavier Belaman,
3
Afiqah Abd Aziz,
4
Fatihah Binti Hashim
1,2,4
Akademi Pengajian Bahasa, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Shah Alam,
3
Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Dengkil, Selangor,
Malaysia
*Corresponding Author
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.925ILEIID00004
Received: 23 September 2025; Accepted: 30 September 2025; Published: 04 November 2025
ABSTRACT
The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension is a gamified online platform designed to address
persistent challenges in online academic reading among ESL undergraduates. Grounded in research on reading
strategy awareness, the innovation targets three domains: Global, Problem-Solving, and Support, through
interactive, story-driven missions. Unlike conventional comprehension tools, The Reading Strategist focuses
on developing metacognitive skills, enabling learners to identify, practise, and reflect on their strategy use in
real time. The platform’s uniqueness lies in its integration of narrative-based gameplay with explicit reading
strategy training. A built-in analytics dashboard tracks strategy usage patterns, that provides personalised
recommendations and enables instructors to monitor progress. This approach is hoped to transform passive
reading into an active, self-regulated learning experience. The relevance to language education is clear: online
academic reading is important for higher education success. However, many ESL learners lack the skills or
confidence to engage effectively. By gamifying strategy instruction, this innovation addresses motivational
barriers, fosters learner autonomy, and supports long term retention of strategies. Key benefits include
increased reading engagement, comprehension, and awareness of strategy application. The platform has the
potential for commercialisation through institutional adoption, adaptable to various text genres, and
commercially viable through integration with learning management systems and publisher partnerships.
Keywords: Gamification, Metacognitive Skills, Online Academic Reading, Reading Strategies
INTRODUCTION
Reading is recognised as a way to gain knowledge, develop intellectual growth, and create a better
understanding of the world around us (Abdullahi & Rouyan, 2018; Lai, 2021). For students, good reading
comprehension skills are crucial because they often work on research tasks (Chen, 2023). The COVID-19
pandemic sped up the move to online learning, leading to a quick rise in digital platforms that provide access
to reading materials. As a result, higher education institutions have normalised online reading. This shift has
significantly influenced students’ reading habits and preferences, with an increasing dependence on digital and
screen-based reading modes (Mangen, Walgermo, & Bronnick, 2013; Azmuddin, Nor, & Hamat, 2017).
In today’s digital world, reading increasingly competes with numerous distractions for readers’ attention (Firth
et al., 2019; Terranova, 2012). Staying focused on long texts is often disrupted by constant digital distractions
(Baron, 2021). Hence, The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension is aimed to address
persistent online reading challenges among Malaysian ESL undergraduates.
Problem Statement
Educators have consistently expressed concerns over ESL learners’ difficulties in interpreting and engaging
with academic texts, where comprehension breakdowns are often linked to inadequate strategy use (Jincheng
& Rahmat, 2022). Evidence suggests that reading instruction should extend beyond comprehension testing and
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Page 19
www.rsisinternational.org
include development of strategic awareness so that less competent readers can improve by modelling the
practices of more proficient ones (Sani & Ismail, 2021; Lamo, Dhuli, & Larsari, 2021).
In Malaysia, online reading has become a necessity in higher education, yet it frequently exposes students to
additional barriers, including reduced focus, disrupted attention, and surface-level processing of digital texts
(Belaman et al., 2023). Although digital platforms offer unparalleled accessibility to academic resources,
prolonged reading on screens is associated with reduced attention spans, ineffective skimming, and lower
comprehension compared as compared to printed materials (Clinton, 2019; Baron, 2021). Research highlights
that these challenges are intensified when students lack the ability to use strategic reading habits, leading to
passive engagement with text (Delgado et al., 2018). Additionally, the absence of guided strategy application in
most online platforms worsens these challenges, leaving many undergraduates unprepared for independent
academic reading.
In response to these challenges, our group developed The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic
Comprehension, a gamified platform that integrates explicit instruction of Global, Problem-Solving, and
Support strategies into immersive, story-driven missions. The main aim of this innovation is to transform
passive reading methods into active, strategy-focused involvement. This change improves learners' self-
awareness, increase comprehension, and keeps students motivated when tackling complex academic texts. By
incorporating strategy practice into real tasks, the platform fills a significant gap in current teaching methods.
It provides learners with organised chances to use and improve their strategies in meaningful situations..
Moreover, The Reading Strategist fosters learner autonomy, alleviates reading-related anxiety, and supports the
development of long-term self-regulated reading habits, all of which are essential for academic success.
Objectives
This innovation seeks to:
1. Cultivate learners’ metacognitive awareness of Global, Problem-Solving, and Support strategies during
online academic reading.
2. Increase strategic, self-regulated engagement with complex expository texts.
3. Improve reading comprehension and persistence in screen-based contexts.
4. Provide instructors with actionable analytics on strategy use to inform targeted scaffolding.
5. Deliver a scalable, LMS-integrated solution suitable for institutional adoption.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION & METHODOLOGY
The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension is a browser-based platform that embeds strategy
instruction within narrative quests. Each quest focuses on a target reading strategy cluster. The Global Quest
includes skimming, scanning, and identifying main ideas. The Problem-Solving Quest covers re-reading, using
contextual clues, and ensuring sentence clarity. The Support Quest involves finding the right tools to assist
reading, such as note-taking, using glossaries, and dictionary skills.Learners encounter authentic academic
texts and complete tasks that incorporate the respective strategies to be used in real time.
Figure 1 The landing page of The Reading Strategist
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Page 20
www.rsisinternational.org
Design Principles.
The design of The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension is guided by three pedagogical
principles: strategy transparency, consequential practice, and reflective feedback. Strategy transparency refers
to making the purpose and application of reading strategies clear to learners by clearly showing what the
strategies are, why they are important, and when they should be applied. This ensures that learners do not use
strategies mechanically but instead develop metacognitive awareness of their choices.
Figure 2 Display of specific reading strategies for learners’ benefit
Next, consequential practice involves embedding strategies into meaningful, goal-driven missions that mirror
authentic academic tasks. Rather than practising skills in isolation, students encounter strategies in contexts
that simulate real reading demands, thereby strengthening transferability to academic study.
Figure 3 Simulation of real reading
Demands embedded in the game
Finally, reflective feedback provides learners a chance to look back at their strategic decisions after each task.
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Page 21
www.rsisinternational.org
They can evaluate how effective those decisions were and think about how to adjust these strategies for future
reading situations. This reflection process encourages deeper learning and long-term retention of strategic
skills.
Figure 1 Reflective feedback provided in the game
Potential Findings and Commercialisation
The commercialisation potential of The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension is substantial,
given its adaptability and alignment with current trends in higher education and educational technology. One of
its most immediate applications is integration as a Learning Management System (LMS) plugin, particularly in
institutional platforms such as UiTM’s uFuture. Embedding the game as allows for seamless adoption in
existing digital ecosystems, where educators can assign missions as part of online coursework, monitor learner
progress, and scaffold academic reading instruction within formal programmes. Such integration aligns with
the global shift toward digital learning ecosystems that prioritise personalised and data-driven instruction
(Aljohani, 2017; Bond et al., 2021).
In addition, the innovation can also be used flexibly in different academic settings. It can function as a
standalone tool in academic reading courses, as supplementary content for academic reading workshops, or as
a support system in blended learning programmes. This flexibility allows institutions to incorporate it into
existing curricula without major restructuring. Modular educational tools are valued because they can be easily
scaled and adapted to different fields (Laurillard, 2013).
Beyond higher education institutions, The Reading Strategist holds potential for partnerships and licensing
opportunities. Its narrative-based strategy modules could be used and licensed by academic publishers, digital
reading platforms, or professional training providers. This would expand its market reach. The demand for
gamified, strategy-focused learning tools is growing in both formal and informal education. Publishers and
platforms are looking to improve learner engagement and set their products apart. (Sailer & Homner, 2020;
Dichev & Dicheva, 2023). By positioning itself as a research-driven, scalable, and adaptable innovation, The
Reading Strategist is well-placed for long-term sustainability and broad adoption.
NOVELTY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension introduces several distinctive elements that set it
apart from existing digital reading platforms. Unlike conventional comprehension tools that primarily assess
outcomes, this innovation gamifies the explicit teaching of reading strategies, enabling learners to practise and
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Page 22
www.rsisinternational.org
internalise Global, Problem-Solving, and Support strategies through interactive missions. This focus on
strategy training instead of comprehension testing addresses the gap noted in reading research. Weaker learners
greatly benefit from modeling and guided practice of metacognitive strategies (Mokhtari, Dimitrov, &
Reichard, 2018; Jincheng & Rahmat, 2022).
The innovation also uses recent findings in gamified instruction. It shows how features like avatars, progress
dashboards, and immersive stories can boost motivation, engagement, and reading persistence (Dichev &
Dicheva, 2023; Lam & Hew, 2022). By incorporating strategy practice in a game-based framework, The
Reading Strategist promotes autonomy, feedback, support, and story immersion. These are all important
aspects of good gamification that lead to deeper involvement and lasting skill retention (Deci & Ryan, 2000;
Hamari, Koivisto, & Sarsa, 2014).
In short, this product’s uniqueness comes from linking strategy instruction and gamification. It creates an
educational tool that motivates learners and improves their academic reading skills in digital environments.
Given its originality and potential for commercialization, several suggestions can help strengthen the impact
and scalability of The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension. First, future development
should focus on validating its effectiveness through classroom trials in higher education. Thorough testing
across various subjects and different learner profiles would confirm its ability to enhance reading strategy
awareness and comprehension. This could contribute to the growing research on gamified teaching methods
(Sailer & Homner, 2020; Habók, Magyar, & Molnár, 2024).
Second, the platform should adopt a flexible design that allows customization of missions and texts based on
institutional or disciplinary needs. This adaptability can improve its teaching relevance and make it more
appealing for partnerships with universities, publishers, and ed-tech providers (Laurillard, 2013; Dichev &
Dicheva, 2023).
Finally, the long-term vision should aim to expand beyond ESL contexts to reach wider academic and
professional audiences. By adding multilingual support and adapting strategies for professional literacy
practices, The Reading Strategist could have a broader impact on international markets and lifelong learning.
In conclusion, The Reading Strategist: Quest for Academic Comprehension represents a promising innovation
that blends gamification, metacognitive strategy instruction, and narrative immersion to support ESL
undergraduates in navigating the challenges of online academic reading. While pilot testing and classroom-
based evaluations are planned for future research, the current conceptualisation offers a strong foundation for
transforming reading instruction into an engaging, strategy-driven experience. Moving forward, the innovation
should prioritise empirical validation through student and instructor feedback, as well as explore practical
considerations such as teacher training, accessibility, and integration within institutional platforms.
Establishing strategic partnerships with learning management system developers and publishers will further
enhance its scalability and long-term sustainability. By pursuing this dual pathway of ongoing refinement and
practical implementation, The Reading Strategist has the potential to make a meaningful impact on digital
reading pedagogy, ensuring it remains educationally grounded, adaptable, and commercially viable in diverse
learning contexts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This innovation project would not have been possible without the financial support from Akademi Pengajian
Bahasa, UiTM Shah Alam, through the Geran Penyelidikan APB. Thank you for the support and opportunity
given.
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Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
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