Improving Reading Strategy for Comprehension: ?Does Recall Compete with Working Memory Manipulation??

Evie A Malaia

doi:10.4172/2469-9837.1000107

Abstract

We investigated whether reading comprehension could be improved by strategic updating of working memory during reading, by providing upper elementary students with working memory consolidation training. We report data from ten fifth-grade students, half of which underwent strategic reading comprehension intervention. Response time data indicated that training in consolidating verbal information increased automaticity of recall. However, this improvement negatively correlated with post-training performance on Backward Digit Span, indicating possible tradeoffs between resource allocation toward the component of executive function moderating maintenance/recall, or toward the component moderating manipulation of working memory content

Highlights

Reading research indicates that working memory capacity is related to reading comprehension [1,2]
Attempts to improve working memory capacity have not been shown to generalize to complex tasks, such as reading comprehension [3,4]
Teachers, parents, and school administrators interested in the reading success of students are looking for an intervention that meets a specific diagnosed need, such as low reading comprehension paired with identified poor working memory capacity

Summary

Introduction

Reading research indicates that working memory capacity is related to reading comprehension [1,2]. All participants completed two tasks: a Backward Digit Span task [19] to determine the executive working memory capacity, and a baseline sentence comprehension task.

Results

Conclusion