Sarah E. Carlson

Effects of Comprehension Skill on Inference Generation during Reading

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between readers with different levels of comprehension skill when engaging in a causal questioning activity during reading, and the varied effects on inference generation. Fourth-grade readers (n = 74) with different levels of comprehension skill read narrative texts aloud and were asked causal questions at specific points during reading. Responses to questions were examined for the types of inferences the readers made during reading. There was no main effect of comprehension skill in terms of readers’ text-based inferences made in response to the causal questions. However, readers differed in their use of knowledge-based inferences in response to the causal questions, and in particular knowledge-based inferences that connected to related text information. Results are discussed in terms of individual differences that can influence attempts at maintaining coherence during reading.

When Do Comprehender Groups Differ? A Moment-by-Moment Analysis of Think-Aloud Protocols of Good and Poor Comprehenders

The purpose of this study was to examine moment-by-moment fluctuations in text comprehension processing and determine how and when poor and good comprehenders differ. To do so, we reanalyzed a dataset of think-aloud protocols from 138 intermediate elementary students. Both good and poor comprehenders used a variety of processing strategies when reading text; however, good comprehenders were more strategic in which processes they used than were poor comprehenders. Patterns of two types of poor comprehenders were also analyzed: paraphrasers and lateral connectors. The results indicate that these different reader types not only vary in aggregate but also moment-by-moment processing.

Data-Based Decision-Making Teams in Middle School: Observations and Implications from the Middle School Intervention Project.

The use of data-based decision making (DBDM) in schools to drive educational improvement and success has been strongly promoted by educational experts and policymakers, yet very little is documented about the actual DBDM practices used in schools. This study examines DBDM practices in 25 middle schools through 80 standardized observations of data team meetings and through survey responses. DBDM practices in terms of structure, process, content, quality, and alignment between self-report and observation are described. Key findings include the following: (a) The average amount of time spent discussing an individual student was brief, less than 2 min; (b) on average, actionable decisions following discussions of behavior or reading issues were made 34% to 40% of the time; and (c) there was weak alignment on key topics between self-reported and observed DBDM practices. These findings underscore the need for additional studies of DBDM practices in school and of the impact of DBDM practices on important student outcomes.

Linguistic Markers of Inference Generation While Reading.

Words can be informative linguistic markers of psychological constructs. The purpose of this study is to examine associations between word use and the process of making meaningful connections to a text while reading (i.e., inference generation). To achieve this purpose, think-aloud data from third-fifth grade students (

Preliminary Findings on the Computer-Administered Multiple-Choice Online Causal Comprehension Assessment, a Diagnostic Reading Comprehension Test.

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Reading between the lines: Developmental and individual differences in Cognitive processes in reading comprehension.

N=218) reading narrative texts were hand-coded for inferences. These data were also processed with a computer text analysis tool, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, for percentages of word use in the following categories: cognitive mechanism words, nonfluencies, and nine types of function words. Findings indicate that cognitive mechanisms were an independent, positive predictor of connections to background knowledge (i.e., elaborative inference generation) and nonfluencies were an independent, negative predictor of connections within the text (i.e., bridging inference generation). Function words did not provide unique variance towards predicting inference generation. These findings are discussed in the context of a cognitive reflection model and the differences between bridging and elaborative inference generation. In addition, potential practical implications for intelligent tutoring systems and computer-based methods of inference identification are presented.

Development of a new reading comprehension assessment: Identifying comprehension differences among readers

Prior research suggests that subscores from a single achievement test seldom add value over a single total score. Such scores typically correspond to subcontent areas in the total content domain, but content subdomains might not provide a sound basis for subscores. Using scores on an inferential reading comprehension test from 625 third, fourth, and fifth graders, two new methods of creating subscores were explored. Three subscores were based on the types of incorrect answers given by students. The fourth was based on temporal efficiency in giving correct answers. All four scores were reliable. The three subscores based on incorrect answers added value and validity. In logistic regression analyses predicting failure to reach proficiency on a statewide test, models including subscores fit better than the model with a single total score. Including the pattern of incorrect responses improved fit in all three grades, whereas including the comprehension efficiency score only modestly improved fit in fourth and fifth grades, but not third grade. Area under the curve (AUC) statistics from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves based on the various models were higher for models including subscores than those without subscores. Implications for using models with and without subscores are illustrated and discussed.

Gender differences in inference generation by fourth-grade students

The computer-administered Multiple-Choice Online Causal Comprehension Assessment (MOCCA) for Grades 3 to 5 has an innovative, 40-item multiple-choice structure in which each distractor corresponds to a comprehension process upon which poor comprehenders have been shown to rely. This structure requires revised thinking about measurement issues (e.g., reliability and interpretation of incorrect responses for diagnostic purposes). Using data from a pilot study, the article presents descriptive statistics on correct responses, incorrect responses, and comprehension rate. It also presents reliability data for correct responses and incorrect responses as well as construct validity data on correct responses. Implications for diagnosis and remediation of poor inferential comprehension are discussed.