General Reading Comprehension Research Articles

Challenges and Strategies Employed in Comprehending Short Stories in English: The Case of Kurdish Learners

The aim of this study was to investigate the mental processes university students followed while reading short stories. It also sought to find the common problems in reading and understanding short stories and how linguistic and extra-linguistic factors formed those challenges. The total number of the participants was 15 (seven males and eight females) in three public universities in Iraqi Kurdistan. The data were recorded and collected among second year university students who were enrolled in an English short stories course in the second year of their studies in the 2014-2015 academic year. To collect the data, a think-aloud protocol was developed and questions about the text were answered verbally by the participants. A qualitative approach was adopted to analyse the obtained data descriptively. The results indicated the fact that some reading strategies were employed by the learners, these strategies were not adequate for them to fully analyse the text in a literary manner. More specifically, they attempted to answer literary questions in the same way that they answered general reading comprehension questions. The analysis of the data also revealed that lack of vocabulary was a major issue for the learners' inability in answering questions correctly. It was also found that the learners were influenced by their own cultural backgrounds and the social norms that they have been exposed to while reading and analysing short stories.

DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS READING ASSESSMENT: PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION BASED ON SEM AND IRT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of mathematics reading assessment based on structural equation model (SEM) and item response theory (IRT). The mathematics reading assessment is conducted in the form of text-reading related to real-life probability and statistics issues. The sample is 789 sixth graders from 13 primary schools in Taiwan. The latent construct of mathematics reading includes three factors which are based on the content area reading components provided by M. C. McKenna and R. D. Robinson. These three factors of mathematics reading assessment in this study are general reading comprehension, prior knowledge of mathematics, and mathematics-specific skills respectively. Firstly, the researcher develops the mathematics reading assessment and confirms the item difficulties, item discriminations, and reliability of assessment. A structural equation model (SEM) is adopted to test the factor construct of the mathematics reading assessment. According to the analysis, it shows that the item difficulties, item discriminations, and reliability are very well. The structural equation model reveals there exist three factors that conform to the assumption of content area reading components mentioned above. Secondly, this study calibrates item characteristics by the three-parameter logistic model of item response theory (IRT). Results indicate that all item fitness performs well. Items belonging to prior knowledge of mathematics have the highest item discriminations. Items of mathematics-specific skills have the highest item difficulties. This study establishes a well-structured mathematics reading assessment. Results could also provide references for instruction and assessment of mathematics reading. Finally, based on the findings of this study, some recommendations and suggestions for future researches and methodologies are also discussed.

The Predictive Value of Children's Understanding of Indeterminacy and Confounding for Later Mastery of the Control-of-Variables Strategy.

Prior research has identified age 9–11 as a critical period for the development of the control-of-variables strategy (CVS). We examine the stability of interindividual differences in children's CVS skills with regard to their precursor skills during this critical developmental period. To this end, we relate two precursor skills of CVS at age 9 to four skills constituting fully developed CVS more than 2 years later, controlling for children's more general cognitive development. Note that N = 170 second- to fourth-graders worked on multiple choice-assessments of their understanding of indeterminacy of evidence and of confounding. We find relations between these two precursor skills and children's CVS skills 2 years later at age 11 in planning, identifying, and interpreting controlled experiments, and in recognizing the inconclusiveness of confounded comparisons (understanding). In accordance with the perspective that both indeterminacy and confounding constitute critical, related yet distinct elements of CVS, both precursor skills contribute to the prediction of later CVS. Together, the two precursor skills can explain 39% of students' later CVS mastery. Overall, the understanding of indeterminacy is a stronger predictor of fully developed CVS than that of confounding. The understanding of confounding, however, is a better predictor of the more difficult CVS sub-skills of understanding the inconclusiveness of confounded comparisons, and of planning a correctly controlled experiment. Importantly, both precursor skills maintain interactive predictive strength when controlling for children's general cognitive abilities and reading comprehension, showing that the developmental dynamics of CVS and its precursor skills cannot be fully ascribed to general cognitive development. We discuss implications of these findings for theories about the development of CVS and broader scientific reasoning.

Written Versus Oral Cues: The Role of Rhetorical Competence in Learning From Texts

AbstractLearning from expository texts demands the processing of metatextual cues (rhetorical devices) and the activating of reading strategies. The main objective of this study was to examine whether profiting from written metatextual cues to launch reading strategies needs higher level of rhetorical competence than profiting from oral cues. Specifically, this study addresses two questions: (1) Is there a gap between the sensitivity to oral versus written metatextual cues depending on the student’s reading skill level? (2) Do the reader’s rhetorical competence, general reading comprehension, and decoding levels interact with the processing of each type of metatextual cue? Three hundred sixty‐seven students (11–13 years old) summarized an expository text after reading it under one of the following four conditions: with written cues, with oral cues, with both cues combined, or with no cues. The less skilled readers who received oral or combined cues provided better summaries (they selected and organized the main ideas better) than the less skilled readers who received written cues or no cues. However, the performance of the more skilled readers was equal under the conditions with written cues, oral cues, and combined cues; these three groups outperformed the readers from the no‐cues condition group. A multicategorical moderator analysis showed that following written cues demanded higher levels of general comprehension and rhetorical competence than following oral and combined cues. These data confirm that rhetorical competence is a specific capability for processing, especially written metatextual cues, and for overcoming the gap between the sensitivity to oral versus written cues.

La integración socioeducativa, factor clave para una mejor comprensión lectora

El presente estudio pretende integrar el contexto social en los procesos de lectura. Nace de la investigación realizada en el 2019 en la Institución Educativa La Frontera; su objetivo general es evaluar la eficacia de una propuesta pedagógica de integración socioeducativa en la mejora de la comprensión lectora de los estudiantes de sexto grado. Es una investigación aplicada, de nivel explicativo, enfoque cuantitativo y diseño cuasiexperimental. La población fueron 160 estudiantes y 80 padres de estudiantes del grupo experimental. Se usó el cuestionario y como técnica, la prueba escrita. La validez de los instrumentos se realizó a través del juicio de expertos y la congruencia de jueces; la confiabilidad por medio del Coeficiente Alpha de Cronbach. Se usó la estadística descriptiva e inferencial; las pruebas de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, U de Mann-Whitney y Wilcoxon. Se diseñó e implementó “PPECLE: leer contigo, leer conmigo”. Se comprobó su eficacia en los niveles inferencial (0,048), crítico (0.40) y de comprensión lectora general (0,04), pero no en el nivel literal (0,273); al comparar los resultados en el grupo experimental (antes y después), se obtuvo una alta significancia en todos los niveles y en la comprensión lectora general (0.00 y 0,06).

Öğretmenlerin Okuduğunu Anlama Düzeyleri: Temel Eğitim Okullarında Çalışan Öğretmenler Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Bu calismanin amaci, temel egitim okullarinda (ilk ve ortaokul) gorev yapan ogretmenlerinin okudugunu anlama duzeylerinin belirlenmesidir. Arastirma betimsel tarama modeli ile kurgulanmistir. Ankara’da calismakta olan 1415 ogretmen arastirmanin orneklem grubunu olusturmaktadir. Calismada arastirmaci tarafindan gelistirilen ‘Okudugunu Anlamayi Degerlendirme Olcegi’ kullanilmistir. Olcme aracina ait puanlama anahtarinin guvenilirligi Krippendorff'un alfa (α) katsayisi, Cohen'in kappa (κ) katsayisi, Pearson moment carpim katsayisi kullanilmistir. Veriler, betimsel istatistik teknikleri kullanilarak cozumlenmistir. Arastirma sonuclarina gore, ogretmenler oykuleyici metinleri ‘iyi’, bilgilendirici metinleri ‘zayif’ duzeyde anlamaktadir. Genel olarak ogretmenler, okuduklarini ‘orta’ duzeyde anlamaktadirlar. Bunun yaninda ogretmenlerin demografik ozellikleriyle (cinsiyet, mesleki kidem, brans ve ogrenim durumlari) okudugunu anlama duzeyi arasinda anlamli farklilik bulunmaktadir. Erkek, lisansustu mezunu ve mesleki kidemi fazla olan ogretmenler, okuduklarini daha fazla anlamaktadirlar. Ayrica, genel okudugunu anlama duzeyi, Turkce ogretmenlerinde iyi; beden egitimi, gorsel sanatlar, muzik ile teknoloji ve tasarim dallarindaki ogretmenlerinde zayif; bilisim teknolojileri, din kulturu ve ahlak bilgisi, fen ve teknoloji, matematik, okul oncesi, rehberlik, sinif, sosyal bilgiler ve yabanci dil ogretmenlerinde orta duzeyde oldugu belirlenmistir. Bu arastirmada ogretmenlerin okudugunu anlama duzeylerindeki yetersizlik gorunur kilinmistir. Alanyazindaki onemli bir bosluga isaret eden bu calisma, okudugunu anlama calismalarinin hizmet oncesi ve hizmetici donemi kapsayacak sekilde genisletilmesi acisindan onem tasimaktadir.

Effects of Technology-Mediated Vocabulary Intervention for Third-Grade Students with Reading Difficulties

In this experimental study, we examined the effects of a technology-mediated intervention to improve students’ understanding of academic vocabulary and its impact on measures of vocabulary and comprehension. The Vocabulators program was implemented in two states involving 24 teachers and 200 third-grade students identified as in need of supplemental vocabulary instruction. Individual students within each classroom were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 100) or typical instructional practices (n = 100) conditions. In the treatment condition, students received, on average, 29 lessons on vocabulary and comprehension. Results of linear regression analyses showed statistically significant and practical effects on experimenter-developed proximal measures of decoding (ES = 0.52), expressive vocabulary (ES = 0.78), receptive vocabulary (ES = 0.51), and near transfer measures of understanding vocabulary in sentences (ES = 0.65), and informational text comprehension (ES = 0.28). Group performance did not differ statistically on near transfer measures of sentence verification with vocabulary and narrative text comprehension as well as distal standardized measures of general vocabulary or reading comprehension. Findings suggest the potential impact of technology-based vocabulary/comprehension lessons to supplement typical instruction.

The effect of linguistic comprehension instruction on generalized language and reading comprehension skills: A systematic review.

The effect of linguistic comprehension instruction on generalized language and reading comprehension skills: A systematic review.

Patterns of variation in the interplay of language ability and general reading comprehension ability in L2 reading

This study aims to investigate patterns of variation in the interplay of L2 language ability and general reading comprehension skills in L2 reading, by comparing item-level effects of test-takers’ results on L1 and L2 reading comprehension tests. The material comes from more than 500,000 people tested on L1 (Swedish) and L2 (English) in the Swedish Scholastic Assessment Test (2010–16). The statistical analysis found no significant correlations between degree of L2 language focus and text length or sentence length, nor could any significant differences be found with regard to the language focus in main point, inference or retrieval items. However, a statistically significant difference was found between the rational deletion gap test and the two sections based on content questions on long and short texts, in the sense that the former to a greater degree measures language ability. Moreover, even though the gap test consists of semantic deletion only, specifically aiming to test higher-order skills, the effect size by different measures was consistently large (Cohen’s d around 0.8). Finally, an additional, more exploratory, qualitative study supported the connection between the distribution of the operationalized language focus value and an item’s relative focus on higher- or lower-level reading skills. Furthermore, it gave some indication that strongly language-focused content question items may be characterized by intra-sentential complexity relating to syntactic parsing and semantic-proposition encoding more than to unfamiliar vocabulary. However, with regard to the results of the qualitative section, more research is clearly needed before it is possible to draw any general conclusions.

Class Percentage of Students With Reading Difficulties on Content Knowledge and Comprehension

We examined the efficacy of a content acquisition and reading comprehension intervention implemented in eighth-grade social studies classrooms. Using a within-teacher randomized control design, 18 eighth-grade teachers’ social studies classes were randomly assigned to a treatment or comparison condition. Teachers taught all their classes (treatment and comparison) using the same content; however, in the treatment classes, teachers used instructional practices that included comprehension canopy, essential words, knowledge acquisition, and team-based learning. Students with reading comprehension difficulties in the treatment classes (n = 359) outperformed students with reading comprehension difficulties in the comparison classes (n = 331) on measures of content knowledge acquisition and content reading comprehension but not general reading comprehension. In addition, the proportion of students with reading comprehension difficulties in classes moderated outcomes for content knowledge acquisition and content reading comprehension.

The contribution of general language ability, reading comprehension and working memory to mathematics achievement among children with English as additional language (EAL): an exploratory study

ABSTRACTAn increasing number of high-stakes mathematics standardised tests around the world place an emphasis on using mathematical word problems to assess students’ mathematical understanding. Not only do these assessments require children to think mathematically, but making sense of these tests’ mathematical word problems also brings children’s language ability, reading comprehension and working memory into play. The nature of these test items places a great deal of cognitive demand on all mathematics learners, but particularly on children completing the assessments in a second language that is still developing. This paper reports findings from an exploratory study on the contribution of language to mathematics achievement among 35 children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and 31 children with English as their first language (FLE). The findings confirm the prominent role of general language ability in the development and assessment of mathematical ability. This variable explained more variance than working memory in word-based mathematics scores for all learners. Significant differences were found between the performance of FLE learners and EAL learners on solving mathematical word-based problems, but not on wordless problems. We conclude that EAL learners need to receive more targeted language support, including help with specific language knowledge needed to understand and solve mathematical word problems.

Investigating Phonological Awareness and Naming Speed as Predictors of Reading in Arabic

ABSTRACTWolf and Bowers (1999) described a model in which phonological awareness (PA) and naming speed (NS) make independent contributions to reading ability. We tested this model in a sample of 201 Grade 3 Arabic-speaking children in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Measures of general cognitive ability, vocabulary, PA, NS, word reading, and reading comprehension were administered. Regression analyses indicated that PA and NS were significant and unique predictors of every reading outcome, after controlling the effects of age, gender, cognitive ability, and vocabulary, with PA being the more powerful factor. Results are interpreted in terms of key features of Arabic language and orthography and the reading level of the sample. Implications for assessment and instruction are discussed.

Improving content knowledge and comprehension for English language learners: Findings from a randomized control trial.

Supporting the reading comprehension and content knowledge acquisition of English language learners (ELs) requires instructional practices that continue beyond developing the foundational skills of reading. In particular, the challenges ELs face highlight the importance of teaching reading comprehension practices in the middle grades through content acquisition. We conducted a randomized control trial to examine the efficacy of a content acquisition and reading comprehension intervention implemented in eighth-grade social studies classrooms with English language learners. Using a within-teacher design, in which 18 eighth-grade teachers’ social studies classes were randomly assigned to treatment or comparison conditions. Teachers taught the same instructional content to treatment and comparison classes, but the treatment classes used instructional practices that included comprehension canopy, essential words, knowledge acquisition, and team-based learning. Students in the treatment group (n = 845) outperformed students in the comparison group (n = 784) on measures of content knowledge acquisition and content reading comprehension but not general reading comprehension. Both ELs and non-ELs who received the treatment outperformed those assigned to the BAU comparison condition on measures of content knowledge acquisition (ES = 0.40) and content-related reading comprehension (ES = 0.20). In addition, the proportion of English language learners in classes moderated outcomes for content knowledge acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Developing EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension and Reading Engagement: Effects of a Proposed Instructional Strategy

This study investigates the effectiveness of a proposed instructional strategy based on habits of mind and shared inquiry in developing reading comprehension and reading engagement among EFL learners at a KSA university. Integral to the study was the use of two main instruments: reading comprehension test and reading engagement survey. The experimental group received reading strategy and reading engagement training activities in addition to general reading practice, while the control group focused only on developing general reading comprehension skills. The data, coded in terms of a range of measures of literal, inferential, and critical reading skills as well as reading engagement, were subjected to t-tests. The results indicate that after the intervention, although some reading comprehension gains were achieved by the CG, the EG achieved higher levels in reading comprehension skills and engagement. Thus, findings revealed support for the proposed strategy. The findings have significant implications for EFL pedagogy, highlighting the effective impact of strategy based instruction on development of reading comprehension.

Vocabulary and Reading Performances of Redesignated Fluent English Proficient Students

In this article, the researchers examined general vocabulary, academic vocabulary, and reading comprehension growth trajectories of adolescent redesignated fluent English proficient (RFEP) students using individual growth modeling analysis. The sample included 1,226 sixth‐ to eighth‐grade RFEP students from six middle schools in an urban school district in California. Students completed up to four waves of reading‐related measures during a 2‐year time period. Findings indicate that (a) students’ scores on vocabulary and reading assessments were positively correlated with their years since redesignation and (b) students on average showed growth over time on all outcomes and the rate of growth did not differ by their years since redesignation. The results suggest that recently redesignated students may need sustained support to ensure continued progress in their English language development.

Text-based writing of low-skilled postsecondary students: relation to comprehension, self-efficacy and teacher judgments

Summarization and persuasive writing are important in postsecondary education and often require the use of source text. However, students entering college with low literacy skills often find this type of writing difficult. The present study compared predictors of performance on text-based summarization and persuasive writing in a sample of low-skilled adult students enrolled in college developmental education courses. The predictors were general reading and writing ability, self-efficacy, and teacher judgments. Both genre-specific and general dependent variables were used. A series of hierarchical regressions modeling participants’ writing skills found that writing ability and self-efficacy were predictive of the proportion of functional elements in the persuasive essays, reading ability predicted the proportion of main ideas from source text in the summaries, and teacher judgments were predictive of vocabulary usage. General reading and writing skills predicted written summarization and persuasive writing differently; the data showed relationships between general reading comprehension and text-based summarization on one hand, and between general writing skills and persuasive essay writing on the other.

The level of social relations comprehension and its impact on text comprehension in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder

<B>Background</b><br /> The study was carried out within the research “Reading comprehension – typical development and its risks”. The article contains data from a component study focused on 4th grade students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who were incorporated into a group of readers with reading comprehension development risks. The main aim was to establish whether variable results in children’s reading and comprehension tests relate to the level of understanding of social relations.<br /> <br /> <B>Participants and procedure</b><br /> We tested 20 students with ASD in two phases: T1 and T2. Each phase consisted of 2 individual sessions. Under the leadership of a research assistant, during each of these sessions a student would carry out the test focused on general intellectual skills, language skills, reading, and reading comprehension. For students with autistic spectrum disorder the Strange Stories test was added in order to ascertain the level of social relations understanding.<br /> <br /> <B>Results</b><br /> The results in reading and reading comprehension tests among students with ASD varied significantly. Based on a correlation analysis it was found that the Strange Stories results substantially correlate with tests focused on reading, text comprehension and language skill levels.<br /> <br /> <B>Conclusions</b><br /> Our research proved the following: the Strange Stories test results show that the level to which an individual is able to understand social relations and social behavior is significantly related to his/her ability to comprehend a text. Consequently, this can influence his/her learning skills as well as the quality of life in society. Cultivation of social abilities, social communication and understanding of social situations and relations is therefore necessary for compensation of autistic spectrum disorder expressions.

The Poor Get Richer: Heterogeneity in the Efficacy of a School-Level Intervention for Academic Language

ABSTRACTWe investigate the impact of a relatively brief cross-curricular intervention, Word Generation, on middle school students' development of taught academic vocabulary. Students (n = 8382) in forty-four middle schools in three urban districts were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treatment teachers implemented the program with minimal support and varying levels of commitment. Students in treatment schools scored almost a point higher on the curriculum-based vocabulary posttests than those in control schools (Hedges's g = 0.094, p < 0.05). Though there was no main treatment effect on the standardized measures of students' general vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension, baseline-by-treatment interactions at the school and student level acted to attenuate the Matthew Effect in reading and vocabulary growth.

Effects of a Reading Strategy Training Aimed at Improving Mental Simulation in Primary School Children

This study investigated the effects of a mental simulation training targeted at improving children’s reading comprehension. In a 4-week period, one group of third and fourth graders (n = 75) learned to draw upon their sensorimotor memories and experiences to mentally simulate text (experimental training group), whereas another group (n = 51) received the schools’ regular reading comprehension instructions (control training group). Pre-to-posttest differences in general reading comprehension, reading motivation, and mental simulation (distinguishing between perceptual and motor simulation) were examined to evaluate the trainings’ effectiveness. Compared to the control group, children who had received the mental simulation training showed improved performance on general reading comprehension (in Grade 3) and scored higher on reading motivation (in Grades 3 and 4). There were no performance differences between groups on the mental simulation measures. These findings indicate that it is beneficial for children to encourage and teach them to connect their sensorimotor experiences to the text they are reading.

Does the Component Processes Task Assess Text-Based Inferences Important for Reading Comprehension? A Path Analysis in Primary School Children.

Using a component processes task (CPT) that differentiates between higher-level cognitive processes of reading comprehension provides important advantages over commonly used general reading comprehension assessments. The present study contributes to further development of the CPT by evaluating the relative contributions of its components (text memory, text inferencing, and knowledge integration) and working memory to general reading comprehension within a single study using path analyses. Participants were 173 third- and fourth-grade children. As hypothesized, knowledge integration was the only component of the CPT that directly contributed to reading comprehension, indicating that the text-inferencing component did not assess inferential processes related to reading comprehension. Working memory was a significant predictor of reading comprehension over and above the component processes. Future research should focus on finding ways to ensure that the text-inferencing component taps into processes important for reading comprehension.