Inferential Comprehension Research Articles

Estrategia pedagógica inclusiva basada en DUA y PIAR para desarrollar la lectura inferencial

The objective of this research is to strengthen inferential reading in sixth grade students of the La Esperanza Educational Institution by means of a strategy based on the Universal Design of Learning DUA and the Individual Plan of Reasonable Adjustments PIAR. The research was conducted from a qualitative approach under the educational action research design. The population consisted of 34 students in grade 6, including 5 with a diagnosis of disability and 5 presumptive. The results of the research show that the SAD allows strengthening the inferential comprehension of students with and without a diagnosis of disability. In addition, there is little knowledge and application of the principles of SAD for classroom work; therefore, there is an urgent need to improve training in this regard. It is also identified that the PIAR is an indispensable tool to strengthen the academic process of the disabled student, since it allows understanding how far he/she can go without falling into capacitism. It is not the student who must change beyond his or her possibilities; it is the educational institution that must eliminate learning barriers and prevent the curriculum from preventing the student from accessing knowledge based on his or her abilities.

Metacognitive Strategy on Students’ Literal and Inferential Comprehension in L2 Reading

Reading is one skill that should be master by the students who want to learn English. However, students often find difficulties while learning English. To solve the problem, students should mastered four language English skills, and one of them is Reading. However, based on the preliminary data taken by the Researcher, it shows that students often did not know what they read. They are not aware of their own reading process. To solve this problem, the students need to know what kind of strategy that they should use while reading. The appropriate strategy that student should use when read is the metacognitive strategy. This paper entitled Metacognitive strategy on students’ literal and inferential comprehension is conducted to know what kind of metacognitive strategy used on students’ reading comprehension, especially their literal and inferential. The aims of this study are to know what kind of metacognitive strategy used on students’ literal and inferential comprehension skills in L2 reading and how are the use of metacognitive strategy on students’ literal and inferential comprehension to their reading skill. There were 3 strategy subscales or factors; Global Reading Strategies, Problem-Solving Strategies and Support Reading Strategies. Results revealed that participants reported frequent use the third metacognitive-strategy types stated by Mokhtari. K And Reichard. The method of this research is qualitative research. It takes place at Pakuan University. The population of this study were Fifth-semester students of the English language Education study program. While the sample of this research are students from class A and Class D that consists of 37 students. The technique and instruments of collecting data for this research are questionnaires, interviews, and forum group discussions. In conclusion, the result shows that the students use metacognitive strategy in their reading process.

Listening Ears or Reading Eyes: A Meta-Analysis of Reading and Listening Comprehension Comparisons

In this study, a meta-analysis of reading and listening comprehension comparisons across age groups was conducted. Based on robust variance estimation (46 studies; N = 4,687), the overall difference between reading and listening comprehension was not reliably different (g = 0.07, p = .23). Reading was beneficial over listening when the reading condition was self-paced (g = 0.13, p = .049) rather than experimenter-paced (g = −0.32, p = .16). Reading also had a benefit when inferential and general comprehension rather than literal comprehension was assessed (g = 0.36, p = .02; g = .15, p = .05; g = −0.01, p = .93, respectively). There was some indication that reading and listening were more similar in languages with transparent orthographies than opaque orthographies (g = 0.001, p = .99; g = 0.10, p = .19, respectively). The findings may be used to inform theories of comprehension about modality influences in that both lower-level skill and affordances vary comparisons of reading and listening comprehension. Moreover, the findings may guide choices of modality; however, both audio and written options are needed for accessible instruction.

Paraphrasing as a Strategy to Develop Reading Comprehension at The Tertiary Level of Education

The three aims of this study are to determine (1) the reading proficiency and the motivation level of a group of tertiary level learners, (2) how far paraphrasing as a strategy can help in developing the reading comprehension of the learners, and (3) whether this strategy also motivates the learners to read more. This study employed a quasi-experimental design. The research population comprised all 18 students in the third semester of the MA in ELT (English Language Teaching) programme of Gauhati University. The data were collected by using (1) two types of tests to measure abilities in literal and inferential comprehension, (2) paraphrasing as technique for reading and (3) questionnaires. The results showed that there was a greater engagement with the text and higher levels of motivation while using the paraphrasing strategy. However, more research needs to be carried out to obtain conclusive evidence that the reading comprehension of students can be developed substantially with the use of the paraphrasing strategy.

Motivational Strategies, Language Learning Strategies, and Literal and Inferential Comprehension in Second Language Chinese Reading: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

Motivational strategies have been recognized as a crucial but insufficiently explored component in second language (L2) learning. This study intends to explore the relationships between motivational strategies, language learning strategies, and literal and inferential comprehension in L2 Chinese reading. Data were collected from 547 international students of universities in mainland China through a strategy use questionnaire and a Chinese reading test. The analysis of the structural equation model indicated that motivational strategies indirectly affected literal comprehension through the mediation of learning strategies. Moreover, motivational strategies were found to directly affect inferential comprehension. The results emphasize the need for a more sophisticated analysis of the motivational strategies and language learning strategies in L2 Chinese reading.

The Interaction of Cognitive Profiles and Text-to-Speech Software on Reading Comprehension of Adolescents With Reading Challenges

This study utilized the Simple View of Reading (SVR) model cognitive subtypes to determine the impact of text-to-speech (TTS) software on the reading comprehension of 94 grade 8 students with reading difficulties. Method: paired samples t tests for all four SVR groups were conducted to examine reading comprehension scores under TTS and no-TTS conditions. Results: only those participants with a dyslexic profile (listening comprehension greater than decoding skills), demonstrated significant gains in reading comprehension in the TTS compared to the no-TTS condition; a large effect size (1.58 grade level increase) was found. Furthermore, this group’s literal comprehension improved much more than their inferential comprehension when utilizing TTS. Implications: a one-size fits all approach for the selection of TTS for struggling readers is not recommended. SVR subtyping incorporated into psychoeducational assessments can inform appropriate assignment of TTS to struggling readers.

Reading and Writing Skills in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Disability.

The purpose of this study is to extend the knowledge about academic achievement in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To this end, first, we analyzed differences in a wide range of reading and writing skills in adolescents with ASD without intellectual disability (ASD-WID) and adolescents with typical development (TD). Second, these two groups were compared on academic outcomes in core subjects and indicators of successful transition to secondary school. Third, the potential contribution of literacy skills to academic outcomes was examined in the two groups. Participants were 56 adolescents between 12 and 14 years old, 30 with ASD-WID and 26 with TD. Results showed no significant differences between the two groups on measures of reading fluency or literal and inferential comprehension. However, the performance of the group with ASD was significantly lower on reading comprehension processes that assess cognitive flexibility. Regarding their written expression skills, significant differences were observed between the group with ASD and the group with TD on most of the indicators analyzed as: productivity, lexical diversity, and overall coherence (resolution component). In addition, findings showed that the deficits in reading and writing observed in the adolescents with ASD significantly affected their academic achievement, which was lower than that of their peers with TD and below what would be expected based on their intellectual capacity. Moreover, their families’ perceptions of the transition to high school reflected worse adjustment and lower self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.

Dramatic shifts in learning: a case study analysis of student literacy learning through drama

ABSTRACT For some decades a growing body of research has articulated the transformative potential of learning in, about and through The Arts. In particular, it is clear that there can be a powerful relationship between drama-rich pedagogy and the enhancement of student literacies. This article reports on research that examined the processes and outcomes of one teacher professional learning program, the School Drama program and its impact on student learning in one Sydney primary school. This research investigated the impacts of the program on student literacy learning, specifically in the area of inferential comprehension through drama-rich pedagogy. Three Vygotskian concepts frame this research: the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Drama and Play, and perezhivanie. The findings suggest positive shifts in student English and literacy outcomes – with this case investigating the focus area of inferential comprehension.

Teaching How to Infer Cultural Features through the Integration of the Directed Reading Thinking Activity

Language teaching is inextricably intertwined with culture teaching, and the reading skill is not exempted whereby many cultural features are pervasively encoded in literary texts. As an aftermath to the delineation of the poor level of inferential reading comprehension of first-year students of English at l’EcoleNormaleSupérieure of Sétif- MessaoudZeghar- Algeria, the instruction of the inferential comprehension of culturally laden texts through the integration of the Directed Reading Thinking Activity stimulated the aim behind the current scrutiny. To this end, a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design constituted the methodological framework by dint of a purposeful sample selection of 34 students. Fundamental to this research was the selection of a realistic narrative entitled The Great Gatsby, which is inherently ingrained in the American culture. Ultimately, the statistical outcomes of the independent samples t-test on the performance of the posttest revealed a significant difference of p =.000 at the probability level of α<.05 in favor of the experimental group. This fact accentuated the positive effect of the treatment on the inferential reading comprehension whereby cultural schemata were omnipresent. Accordingly, diverse cultural features, that had characterized the American society in the 1920s, were inferred.

ProVoc: An app to train vocabulary depth in order to foster children's reading comprehension

AbstractMany studies have demonstrated the crucial role of vocabulary in predicting reading performance in general. More recent work has indicated that one particular facet of vocabulary (its depth) is more closely related to language comprehension, especially inferential comprehension. On this basis, we developed a training application to specifically improve vocabulary depth. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of a mobile application designed to improve vocabulary depth. The effectiveness of this training was examined on 3rd and 4th grade children's vocabulary (breadth and depth), decoding and comprehension performances. A randomized waiting‐list control paradigm was used in which an experimental group first received the intervention during the first 4 weeks (between pretest and post‐test1), thereafter, a waiting control group received the training for the next 4 weeks (between postest1 and posttest2). Results showed that the developed application led to significant improvements in terms of vocabulary depth performance, as well as a significant transfer effect to reading comprehension. However, we did not observe such a beneficial effect on either vocabulary breadth or written word identification. These results are discussed in terms of the links between vocabulary depth and comprehension, and the opportunities the app presents for remedying language comprehension deficits in children.

The Effect of Vocabulary Depth and Breadth on English Listening Comprehension Can Depend on How Comprehension Is Measured.

This study examines the relative contribution of vocabulary breadth (VB) and vocabulary depth (VD) to three different listening comprehension measures. One hundred and thirteen English majors were given VB and VD tests, and three listening comprehension tests. Based on three pairs of hierarchical multiple regression analyses, we found that the relative contribution of VB and VD varied across the three listening comprehension tests. Specifically, for the listening test with an expository text dictation to assess integrative skills, both VB and VD made a unique positive contribution to comprehension, but this was greater in the case of depth. For the listening test involving narrative conversations to assess literal comprehension, neither VB nor VD (after controlling for each other) could independently predict comprehension, whereas for the listening test that comprises expository passages to assess inferential comprehension, VD could separately predict comprehension but VB could not. These findings suggest that the relative contribution of VD and VB to listening comprehension may depend on how a listening test is constructed. Therefore, the findings will contribute to listening comprehension and vocabulary knowledge research, and vocabulary teaching and learning.

Exploring EFL learners\u2019 inferential reading comprehension skills through a flipped classroom

This study presents the results of a mixed-methods approach in finding the effects of the WebQuest-based flipped classroom on the EFL learners’ inferential reading comprehension skills. A group of EFL learners attending an IELTS course participated in the study. T-test and one-way repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the quantitative data. The results showed that the WebQuest-based flipped classroom effectively developed the learners’ inferential reading comprehension skills, and its long-term effect was also confirmed through the delayed post-test scores. The participants’ attitudes towards the WebQuest-based flipped classroom effects were also explored by conducting semi-structured interviews analyzed by utilizing thematic analysis through which the participants’ perspectives were coded and categorized. The findings revealed the EFL learners’ mainly positive attitudes towards the effectiveness of this innovative approach in developing their inferential reading comprehension skills. The pedagogical implications of using WebQuest-based flipped instruction as an efficient and effective alternative to traditional classroom practice are discussed.

Effects of phonological loop on inferential processing during Chinese text reading: Evidence from a dual-task paradigm.

The role of working memory (WM) components, such as phonological loop, in online inferential processing has thus far not been empirically examined with a dual-task paradigm. The current study used an online method to examine the effects of the two components of phonological loop-the articulatory rehearsal device and the phonological store device-on online causal inference generation during Chinese text reading. Eighty-five Chinese university students read three-sentence inference and control texts and responded to comprehension questions related to targeted inferences in different reading conditions. The results showed that in the articulatory suppression condition, response times (RTs) for comprehension questions of inference texts were considerably longer, and response errors were significantly higher than those in the normal reading condition, which indicated the effects of the articulatory rehearsal device on readers' online causal inference processes during Chinese text reading. Moreover, RTs for comprehension questions of inference texts in the irrelevant speech condition were significantly shorter than those in the normal reading condition, suggesting effects of the phonological store device on readers' causal inference processes during reading. Taken together, these findings indicate that the articulatory rehearsal device plays an important role in inference processes, but readers allocate more cognitive resources to facilitate the construction of causal relations during text-based inferential comprehension when function of the phonological store device is impaired.

The Validity of Cloze Test in Measuring Reading Comprehension of The Students

This study deals with validity of cloze test in measuring reading comprehension. The objectives are to find out cloze test of fixed or variable deletion a valid measure of reading comprehension, and to find out to which level of reading comprehension is cloze test most valid. This was an export facto quantitative study. In this study, the writer took 40 students at SMP Swasta Bharlind School Medan, as the sample and they were divided into two grows. There are six hypotheses in this study in order to answer the research problems. Cloze test and TOEFL test were used as the instrument for collecting the data. The findings were that cloze test using fixed-ratio method significantly correlate with reading comprehension of TOEFL and also with literal and inferential comprehension items of TOEFL in measuring reading comprehension. And the cloze test using variable-ratio method significantly correlate with reading comprehension of TOEFL but doesn’t significantly correlate with both literal and inferential comprehension items of TOEFL in measuring reading comprehension. Then, cloze test using fixed-ratio method is a valid measure of reading comprehension (0,77), while cloze test using variable-ratio method is not a valid measure reading comprehension (0,69). Mean while cloze test using variable-ratio method does not significantly correlate with inferential comprehension items of TOEFL in measuring reading comprehension.

The assessment of Indonesian EFL students' reading comprehension ability using Reading Evaluation and Decoding System (READS)

This study focused on reading comprehension ability of the English Department students in answering READS, MCQ questions. READS is an alternative standardized assessment system that is capable of measuring reading comprehension ability. This is a descriptive study based on Barrett's Taxonomy levels, such as literal comprehension, reorganization, and inferential comprehension. This study consisted of 122 students of the English Department academic year 2015 through 2018 at one of the private universities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This study analysis utilized the three Barrett's taxonomy scales to identify whether the students were at meet the standard, below standard, above standard or at academic warning. Finding of the research indicated that 27.8 % students categorized into academic warning (Band 2 and 3), 46.7% students categorized into below standard (Band 4) and 25.5% students categorized into meet standard (Band 5). Consequently, READS as an alternative assessment will guide the teachers to design specific reading material based on students' needs.

Cross-Representational Signaling and Cohesion Support Inferential Comprehension of Text-Picture Documents.

Learning from a text–picture multimedia document is particularly effective if learners can link information within the text and across the verbal and the pictorial representations. The ability to create a mental model successfully and include those implicit links is related to the ability to generate inferences. Text processing research has found that text cohesion facilitates the generation of inferences, and thus text comprehension for learners with poor prior knowledge or reading abilities, but is detrimental for learners with good prior knowledge or reading abilities. Moreover, multimedia research has found a positive effect from adding visual representations to text information, particularly when implementing signaling, which consists of verbal or visual cues designed to guide attention to the pictorial representation of relevant information. We expected that, as with text-only documents, struggling readers would benefit from high text cohesion (Hypothesis 1) and that signaling would foster inference generation as well (Hypothesis 2). Further, we hypothesized that better learning outcomes would be observed when text cohesion was low and signaling was present (Hypothesis 3). Our first experimental study investigated the effect of those two factors (cohesion and signaling) on three levels of comprehension (text based, local inferences, global inferences). Participants were adolescents in prevocational schools (n = 95), where some of the students are struggling readers. The results showed a trend in favor of high cohesion, but with no significant effect, a significant positive effect of cross-representational signaling (CRS) on comprehension from local inferences, and no interaction effect. A second experiment focused on signaling only and attention toward the picture, with collection of eye-tracking data in addition to measures of offline comprehension. As this study was conducted with university students (n = 47), who are expected to have higher reading abilities and thus are less likely to benefit from high cohesion, the material was presented in its low cohesive version. The results showed no effect of conditions on comprehension performances but confirmed differences in processing behaviors. Participants allocated more attention to the pictorial representation in the CRS condition than in the no signaling condition.

Inferential narrative comprehension ability of young school-age children on the autism spectrum.

The purpose of the current exploratory study was to describe the inferential narrative comprehension skills of young school-age children on the autism spectrum who, as a group, are at high risk of significant and persistent reading comprehension difficulties. Our aim was to investigate whether the anticipated difficulties in inferential narrative comprehension in the group of children with autism could be explained by the children's structural language ability as measured using a broad-spectrum standardized language test. The participants were 35 children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), aged between 5;7 and 6;11, who attended their first year of formal schooling, and 32 typically developing (TD) children, matched to the ASD group for age and year of schooling. Children on the autism spectrum were divided into below normal limits (ASD_BNL, standard score ≤80; n = 21) or within normal limits (ASD_WNL, standard score >80; n = 14) on a standardized language test. All children participated in a narrative comprehension task, which involved listening to a novel story, while looking at pictures, and answering eight comprehension questions immediately afterwards. Comprehension questions were categorized into factual and inferential questions, with further categorization of the inferential questions into those tapping into the story characters' internal responses (mental states) or not. Children's responses were scored on a quality continuum (from 0: inadequate/off topic to 3: expected/correct). Our results showed significantly lower scores across factual and inferential narrative comprehension in the ASD_BNL group, compared to the ASD_WNL and TD groups, supporting the importance of structural language skills for narrative comprehension. Furthermore, the TD group significantly outperformed the children in the ASD_WNL group on inferential comprehension. Finally, the children in the ASD_WNL group showed specific difficulties in answering the internal response inferential questions compared to their TD peers. Results from this exploratory study highlight the difficulties children on the autism spectrum may have in inferential narrative comprehension skills, regardless of sufficient structural language skills at word and sentence level. These findings support the importance of routinely assessing these narrative comprehension skills in children on the spectrum, who as a group are at high risk of persistent reading comprehension difficulties. In this study, we demonstrate how narrative comprehension can be assessed in young school-age children on the autism spectrum. The scoring system used to categorize children's responses may further assist in understanding children's performance, across a quality continuum, which can guide detailed goal setting and assist in early targeted intervention planning.

Interactive e-book reading vs. paper-based reading: Comparing the effects of different mediums on middle school students’ reading comprehension

This exploratory study compared the effects of two different mediums of reading—interactive e-book reading and paper-based reading—on learners’ reading comprehension. A specific focus was placed on literal vs. inferential comprehension. Thirty Korean middle school English language learners were randomly assigned to an interactive e-book reading (treatment) group or a paper-based reading (control) group. A pre-test and five comprehension tests were administered to both groups over a total of six reading sessions. A survey was also conducted to investigate students’ perceptions of how helpful interactive e-book features were in aiding their reading comprehension. Results from the reading comprehension test scores showed no statistical differences between the groups across the five tests. Analysis of literal and inferential questions also showed no significant difference overall. Findings from the survey data along with researcher observation notes suggest that interactive features that are not designed to aid students’ understanding can distract students from the task of reading which may hinder their comprehension. The overall results of this study suggest that it may not be the medium of reading, but how students engage with each medium that can affect their comprehension of text.

The Effect of Video Presentation and Printed Reading Materials on Pupils’ Comprehension Skills

The study on the Effect of Video Presentation and Printed Reading Materials on the Pupils’ Comprehension skills was conducted on the pupils of St. Scholastica’s Academy in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental Philippines. This study was only limited to the Four Levels of Comprehension namely: Literal, Inferential, Evaluative, and Appreciative Comprehension. Based on the results of the tests, it showed that there was an increase in scores. The pretest scores of the Experimental Group is 4.53 the Controlled Group is 4.47. The posttest score of both groups is 5.08. Results presented that the Controlled Group has a higher mean difference. The Mean and T-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means were used to interpret the data gathered. Comparing the two values, the T-test shows that the difference of 0.056 between the values is not significant wherein the p-value is equivalent to 0.862.It was recommended that the administrators must ensure that the educators must be prepared in implementing technology inside the classroom. The teachers must check the current standing of the pupils to determine the strength and weaknesses in comprehension. The parents should let their children explore technology and books; and further studies must focus on the upper level to determine if there are changes on the different grade levels as well determine the factors that affect the student’s learning: motivation, learning style and strategies, learning environment, and classroom pedagogy.

The Effects of Suprasegmental Phonological Training on English Reading Comprehension: Evidence from Chinese EFL Learners.

This study aims to investigate the effect of suprasegmental phonological training on connected-text reading comprehension of Chinese university students with different English reading proficiency levels. A sample of 160 freshmen was recruited and randomly divided into experimental and control groups, and the experimental group was given a 12-week training on stress, intonation and rhythm in English. Comparison and analysis of the subjects' reading comprehension performance, involving overall accuracy and speed as well as literal and inferential comprehension, reveal that: (1) suprasegmental phonological training exerts positive effects on the subjects' overall reading comprehension, especially on reading time and literal comprehension; (2) lower-proficiency readers improve more remarkably than higher-proficiency readers in terms of overall accuracy and literal comprehension, while the effect of the training on reading time is significant regardless of the subjects' reading proficiency. The results indicate that with explicit instruction and intensive exposure to suprasegmental knowledge, students' automaticity in lower level processing, such as parsing and understanding propositional messages, can be increased. From a perspective of interaction among different cognitive and psychological processes of reading comprehension, this study can shed light on developing students' reading comprehension in EFL contexts.