Ruth Garner

Monitoring of Understanding: An Investigation of Good and Poor Readers' Awareness of Induced Miscomprehension of Text

Good and poor junior high readers were directed to process two expository passages as editors. Each passage had been divided into four segments, and in two of the four segments of one passage, material had been altered to introduce inconsistency with the overall message. Comprehension-miscomprehension monitoring was assessed after each segment; the readers were asked to rate each chunk as “very easy to understand,” “ok,” or “difficult to understand,” and to explain instances of the latter two ratings after completion of the entire passage at hand. A material × segment × reader repeated-measures ANOVA revealed numerous significant main and interaction effects. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data supported the original hypothesis of good reader/poor reader differences in comprehension-miscomprehension monitoring. It seems that good readers noticed the disruptive effect of the altered material and poor readers did not.

Monitoring of Passage Inconsistency among Poor Comprehenders: A Preliminary Test of the “Piecemeal Processing” Explanation

AbstractPoor comprehenders from grades five and six were asked to read and rate the comprehensibility of three short passages: one informationally consistent, one informationally inconsistent, and one containing polysyllabic modifying words. Subjects were asked to indicate why passages rated as not readily comprehensible were difficult. The poor comprehenders rated informationally consistent and informationally inconsistent passages as equally comprehensible, but rated modifying word passages as much less comprehensible. They referred to long words, difficult words, and unfamiliar words within these passages as sources of difficulty. This focus on long words within sentences, rather than on inconsistent information across sentences, provides support for the hypothesis that poor comprehenders process print in piecemeal fashion.

Inducing Use of a Text Lookback Strategy Among Unsuccessful Readers

A text lookback strategy was taught to 12 remedial readers in three sessions. Readers were taught why to use lookbacks, when to use them, and where to use them with expository texts and accompanying questions. Five days after training was completed, the 12 subjects and 12 students in a control group were assessed for use of lookbacks and question-answering accuracy. Significant differences between training and control groups emerged both for percentage of correct answers with lookbacks (for questions not answered correctly from memory) and for percentage of lookbacks used (sometimes leading to an accurate answer, sometimes not) when needed. Classroom instruction in the use of text lookbacks is suggested.

Strategies for Reading and Studying Expository Text

This article presents three prerequisites for effective reading and studying of expository text: (a) accessible conceptual knowledge in relevant domains, (b) a schema for exposition that specifies how ideas in text are related, and (c) text-processing strategies. Two strategies, ongoing summarization of important information and strategic backtracking to resolve comprehension or memory difficulty, are discussed in detail. Development of expertise for each strategy is discussed; data-based descriptions of progression from strategic deficiency to strategic inefficiency to strategic efficiency are presented. Prescriptions for instructional assistance derived from the research literature are also offered.

Verbal-Report Data on Reading Strategies

This study provides information about reading and summarizing strategies among expert readers, and tests the effect of manipulating processing-verbal report interval. Twenty undergraduates read and summarized an expository text, while being observed, on day one. Half of the subjects reported their thoughts and actions immediately afterward. The other 10 subjects reported two days later. Ten reading-summarizing strategies were reported more than once by undergraduates. Most summarization “rules” discussed in the literature appeared in the list. Clear processing-verbal report interval completeness effects were found, favoring the subjects who reported immediately following processing. Research implications are drawn.

Monitoring of Understanding: An Investigation of Attentional Assistance Needs at Different Grade and Reading Proficiency Levels.

Abstract Good and poor comprehenders from grades four, six, and eight were directed to process one of two short narratives as editors. In each narrative, a major informational inconsistency existed. A score was given each subject based on the point at which the inconsistency was noted. As expected, younger readers and poorer comprehenders scored significantly lower (i.e., required more attentional assistance to note the inconsistency) than more mature readers and better comprehenders. A large number of younger poorer readers never appeared to detect the meaning disruption.

Text Summarization Deficiencies Among Older Students: Awareness or Production Ability?

Two explanations for text summarization deficiencies among older learners were investigated. Forty students at each of three grade levels were asked to prepare optimal and nonoptimal short summaries for a written descriptive passage. Awareness of the importance of three aspects of successful summarization—inclusion of important ideas, succinctness, and integration—was measured by learner differentiation of the two summary products. Production ability for the three features was measured by acceptability of the optimal product. Results of the study confirmed deficiencies documented in the literature but with some specificity for source of the deficit (i.e., awareness or production ability problems) and for age level. Specific instructional remedies are proposed.

Strategic Processing of Text: An Investigation of the Effects on Adults’ Question-Answering Performance

AbstractThirty undergraduate students were asked to read a 4200-word article about the reunion of long-separated identical twins. Four times across the eight-page article, they were asked to stop and reflect (in writing) on how they were reading and preparing to answer an unspecified question about the twins. When reading was completed, each subject received a question sheet, and the text was removed. The question asked the students to list as many similarities between the twins as they could. Particularly of interest in the study were differences in question performance between those subjects who verbalized attempting to discern what the eventual question might be while reading and those subjects who did not verbalize such a strategy. Half of the subjects verbalized a question-formulation strategy, and their eventual performance on the similarities question was significantly superior to those subjects who verbalized other strategies (captured here in qualitative analysis of reflection comments) but did n...

Effects of Text Manipulations on Quality of Written Summaries.

Abstract Three text manipulations that might influence the quality of written summaries of text were investigated. Cuing, organization, and reduction constraints were systematically manipulated in a descriptive passage presented to 120 undergraduate students. Number of important ideas in the summary, number of words, integration level of important ideas, and deviation in text-summary order of presentation of important ideas were measured. MANOVA and follow-up univariate tests showed particularly strong effects for cuing. Performance across treatment combinations on all four outcome measures was far below ceiling level.

RESOLVING COMPREHENSION FAILURE THROUGH TEXT LOOKBACKS: DIRECT TRAINING AND PRACTICE EFFECTS AMONG GOOD AND POOR COMPREHENDERS IN GRADES SIX AND SEVEN

As part of a research program investigating strategic action to remedy perceived comprehension failures, 11 good comprehenders and 11 poor comprehenders were selected at each of two levels. Working with narrative texts, their spontaneous use of “text lookbacks” (rereading) and response to training and practice were evaluated in a first session. In a second session, one week later, maintenance of effects of training and practice was assessed. Good comprehenders at both grade levels were far more likely than poor comprehenders to use lookbacks on all narratives. Training and practice improved performance for all subject groups, however, and this improved performance was sustained over time. Speculation about successful components of the intervention is offered, and suggestions for future research are provided.