Panayiota Kendeou

The effects of prior knowledge and text structure on comprehension processes during reading of scientific texts.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of prior knowledge and text structure on cognitive processes during comprehension of scientific texts. To investigate the processes online, we used a thinkaloud methodology in Experiment 1 and a reading time methodology in Experiment 2. In both experiments, we obtained offline comprehension measures and measures of individual differences in working memory and need for cognition. Across the two experiments, the results indicated that readers adjust their processing as a function of the interaction between prior knowledge and text structure. In particular, adjustments in the actual processes that take place during reading were observed for readers who had erroneous prior knowledge, but only when they read a text that was structured to explicitly refute this prior knowledge. Furthermore, the results showed that readers’ memory for the text was affected by differences in their prior knowledge, independently of text structure. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relation between different factors that are associated with comprehension of scientific texts and have implications for theories of comprehension and conceptual change.

Reading about Energy: The Effects of Text Structure in Science Learning and Conceptual Change.

The present study investigated the effects of text structure in the acquisition of the concept of energy and the overcoming of specific preconceptions associated with it. Cypriot sixth-grade students read either a simple expository text that presented factual information or a refutation text that also explicitly addressed two common preconceptions and proceeded to refute them. Both texts were used as adjuncts to the standard science instruction that is typically provided in the Cypriot elementary school. Students who read the refutation text outperformed students who read the expository text and students who received standard instruction only. In contrast, the influence of the expository text was negligible and generally comparable to that of standard instruction. The implications of these results for the instructional use of refutational text structures were discussed.

Facilitating conceptual change in astronomy: a comparison of the effectiveness of two instructional approaches

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two instructional approaches in the acquisition of basic astronomy concepts. Sixty-three fifth-grade students were pre-tested on their knowledge of the shape of the Earth and the day/night cycle. Half of the students received standard, textbook-based instruction. The rest of the students received instruction that took preconceptions into account, and which focused on explanations that would maximise the plausibility of scientific conceptions. The results indicated that the experimental instruction had a strong positive effect on learning and understanding. In contrast, the standard instruction did not lead to significant pre-test/post-test gains.

The Development of Narrative Comprehension and Its Relation to Other Early Reading Skills

The first goal of this study was to examine young childrens developing narrative comprehension abilities using theory-based, authentic measures of comprehension processes. The second goal was to examine the relations among young childrens comprehension abilities and other early reading skills. Children ages 4 and 6 listened to or watched two authentic narratives. We measured their comprehension of these narratives as well as vocabulary and skills associated with word decoding. The results revealed that even the younger children were sensitive to the underlying structure of the narratives and that this sensitivity increased with age. Measures of narrative comprehension were not consistently correlated with skills associated with word decoding, such as phonological awareness. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical models of comprehension and of reading development. Practical implications of the findings are also explored.

Revisiting the simple view of reading

BACKGROUND Reading component models such as the Simple View of Reading (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990) provide a concise framework for describing the processes and skills involved when readers comprehend texts. According to the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading (Rose, 2006) strong evidence for the SVR comes from Factor Analysis of datasets on different measures of reading showing dissociation between decoding skills and comprehension. To the best of our knowledge, only two such published studies exist to date. Of these, only one of is in English and this explores children between the age of 7 and 10 years. AIMS To explore the SVR in English-speaking children aged 4 and 6 using Factor Analysis. SAMPLES 116 4-year-olds and 116 6-year-olds in the US; 103 6-year-olds in Canada. METHODS All children were administered a battery of decoding and comprehension related measures. RESULTS Factor Analysis of the diverse measures undertaken independently by two research teams in different countries demonstrated that listening comprehension and decoding measures loaded as distinct factors in both samples of young English-speaking children. CONCLUSIONS The present findings provide important support for the generality and validity of the SVR framework as a model of reading.

Investigating the Double-Deficit Hypothesis in Greek Findings From a Longitudinal Study

This study examined longitudinally the double-deficit hypothesis in Greek, an orthographically consistent language, following a group of children from kindergarten to Grade 2. Four groups were formed on the basis of two composite scores of phonological and naming-speed criterion measures: a double-deficit group (DD; n = 17), a phonological deficit group (PD; n = 33), a naming deficit group (ND; n = 33), and a control group exhibiting no deficits (CnD; n = 159). The four groups were identified in Grade 1, and they were compared retrospectively in kindergarten only on the criterion measures, and in Grades 1 and 2 on measures of word-reading fluency and accuracy, orthographic processing, and passage comprehension. The effects of verbal and nonverbal ability, age, gender, and parental education were controlled among the groups. Results showed that the DD group exhibited greater dysfunction in reading and orthographic processing compared to the single-deficit and CnD groups. Also, although the three deficit groups were not easily differentiated in kindergarten, their differences were maximized in Grade 1 and retained in Grade 2. The type and severity of reading deficits found in the ND group were mostly associated with naming speed at both the word- and text-reading levels, deficits that persisted across development. The PD group showed mostly deficient orthographic and poor decoding skills that improved across development. Implications of the findings for the double-deficit hypothesis in languages with transparent orthographies are discussed.

Revising what readers know: Updating text representations during narrative comprehension

Reading comprehension involves not just encoding information into memory, but also updating and revising what is already known or believed. For example, as narrative plots unfold, readers often must revise the expectations they have constructed from earlier portions of text to successfully comprehend later events. Evidence suggests that such revision is by no means guaranteed. In three experiments, we examined conditions that influence readers’ revision of trait-based models for story characters. Trait models are particularly relevant for examining such revision because they demonstrate resistance to change. We specifically assessed whether task instructions and content-driven refutations of earlier information would enhance the likelihood of revision. In Experiment 1, instructions to carefully consider the appropriateness of story outcomes generally facilitated revision. In Experiment 2, we removed those instructions; revision occurred only when refutations included sufficient explanation to suggest that updating was necessary. Experiment 3 further supported the influence of instructions on readers’ propensities to revise. These results are informative with respect to the mechanisms that guide readers’ moment-by-moment comprehension of unfolding narratives.

Updating during Reading Comprehension: Why Causality Matters.

The present set of 7 experiments systematically examined the effectiveness of adding causal explanations to simple refutations in reducing or eliminating the impact of outdated information on subsequent comprehension. The addition of a single causal-explanation sentence to a refutation was sufficient to eliminate any measurable disruption in comprehension caused by the outdated information (Experiment 1) but was not sufficient to eliminate its reactivation (Experiment 2). However, a 3 sentence causal-explanation addition to a refutation eliminated both any measurable disruption in comprehension (Experiment 3) and the reactivation of the outdated information (Experiment 4). A direct comparison between the 1 and 3 causal-explanation conditions provided converging evidence for these findings (Experiment 5). Furthermore, a comparison of the 3 sentence causal-explanation condition with a 3 sentence qualified-elaboration condition demonstrated that even though both conditions were sufficient to eliminate any measurable disruption in comprehension (Experiment 6), only the causal-explanation condition was sufficient to eliminate the reactivation of the outdated information (Experiment 7). These results establish a boundary condition under which outdated information will influence comprehension; they also have broader implications for both the updating process and knowledge revision in general.

The computational implementation of the landscape model: Modeling inferential processes and memory representations of text comprehension

The complexity of text comprehension demands a computational approach to describe the cognitive processes involved. In this article, we present the computational implementation of the landscape model of reading. This model captures both on-line comprehension processes during reading and the off-line memory representation after reading is completed, incorporating both memory-based and coherence-based mechanisms of comprehension. The overall architecture and specific parameters of the program are described, and a running example is provided. Several studies comparing computational and behavioral data indicate that the implemented model is able to account for cycle-by-cycle comprehension processes and memory for a variety of text types and reading situations.

The Dimensionality of Phonological Abilities in Greek

A BSTRA C T The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to examine the unidimensionality of phonological abilities in Greek, a language with a transparent orthography, and (b) to compute the reliabilities and test the construct validity of a comprehensive phonological battery that was developed to operationally measure and conceptualize phonological abilities in Greek. A secondary focus was to examine gender differences in phonological abilities. The dimensionality of phonological abilities in Greek was examined longitudinally among 280 Greek-Cypriot school children (141 boys and 139 girls) from kindergarten to grade 1. A scale of 10 tasks composed of 140 items tapping phonological skills at syllabic and phonemic levels was used to measure phonological skills. Both exploratory factor analysis at the item level and Rasch modeling (WINSTEPS; Linacre & Wright, 2003) were used to examine the dimensionality of the phonological scale. The results of both analyses indicated that performance on these tasks was represented by a single latent construct. The infit and outfit indices demonstrated the scale’s good fit with a 1-parameter item response Rasch model. The separation index for both person and items was higher than 0.95, indicating that the separability of the scale was also very good. Reliability analysis yielded the same results. Further, the results of the present study did not provide any support for gender differences in phonological abilities in the first years of schooling. Overall, this study provides converging evidence for the underlying developmental view of phonological sensitivity as a single ability, especially in a language with a transparent orthography.