Reading Scientific Texts Research Articles

THE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN COMPREHENDING TOEFL READING TEXT AT ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF OGAN KOMERING ILIR KAYUAGUNG

The objective of this research is to find the difficult skills in TOEFL reading text faced by the students of English Language Education Study Program of Islamic University of Ogan Komering Ilir Kayuagung. The subject of this research was students English Department Isalamic University Ogan Komering Ilir To conduct this study, the descriptive qualitative was used. To collect the data, TOEFL reading test and interview were used. To analyze the data, data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusion or interpretation. The result of the study showed that students had difficulty finding main idea questions (66.6%), organization ideas (72%), stated detail question (60%), unstated detail question (62%), implied detail question (75%), transition question (74%), reference (56%), vocabulary (54.5%), question about where in the passage (55%), and tone purpose (63%). It was happened because most of the students did not like reading scientific text, had low motivation, and had limitation vocabulary.

Animal Subjects: Literature, Zoology, and British Modernism, by Caroline Hovanec

Animal Subjects: Literature, Zoology, and British Modernism, by Caroline Hovanec

Comparing the Reading Behaviours of Students with High- and Low-Level Comprehension of Scientific Terms by Eye Movement Analysis

Poor comprehension of specialised terminology presents a significant obstacle that impedes students’ ability to learn science. The present study examined the influences of scientific terminology comprehension on students’ cognitive processes during science-text reading. We used eye-tracking tests to examine science-text reading behaviours among 663 South Korean middle school students in the seventh through ninth grades and compared quantitative differences in eye movement between students with high and low scientific terminology comprehension levels. The results of eye-tracking tests, comprehension assessments, and a questionnaire measuring participants’ familiarity with scientific terminology showed that students with low-level comprehension were less skilful at reading science texts, paid more attention to everyday words and less attention to scientific terms, and did not engage in repeated reading. Conversely, high-comprehension students engaged in longer and more repeated reading of unfamiliar terms. This study presents empirical evidence that the comprehension of scientific terminology is a primary factor influencing difficulties in science reading and learning. The findings suggest the need for teachers to assess students’ comprehension of scientific terminology and devote more time to explicit teaching of such specialised vocabulary.

STRATEGI MEMAHAMI KATA-KATA SULIT DALAM MEMBACA TEKS BERBAHASA INGGRIS

The purpose of writing this article is to describe the easy way to understand difficult words in reading scientific texts in English. We often find difficult words, which hinder understanding of the contents of English-language reading. In fact, we are often lazy to continue reading, and are very time consuming when searching for the meaning of words in a dictionary. If only one or two words are found it doesn't matter. However, if more than ten difficult words will interfere and hinder understanding of the contents of the reading, and will depend on the dictionary. For that there are several steps we can take to avoid obstacles in understanding the English text as a whole. For that reason, there is no need to worry if finding difficult words in a text, through the context of the sentence can help guess the exact meaning of the word.Keywords: Difficultwords, Strategy, and English Text

Pickup of Causal Language and Inference During and After Reading Scientific Text

When reading scientific text, readers must draw inferences when the author does not make relations explicit; readers also need to pick up on causal relations that the author does make explicit. We collected think-aloud protocols from 86 undergraduate biology students reading 7 brief, illustrated passages about the immune system. After reading, participants typed a free recall. Both think-aloud and recall were transcribed and coded for two types of causal language—specific action verbs and explicit causal terms (forms of the word “cause”)—as well as inferences. Inferences in recalls were significantly related to action verbs picked up and during reading, as evidenced by the think-alouds. Action verbs in recalls were significantly facilitated by inferences and pick up of action verbs articulated by the participants while reading, as evidenced by the think-alouds. Explicit causal terms in recalls were significantly facilitated by pick up of action verbs while reading. Results suggest a very important role for pick-up of specific action verbs while reading, and risks associated with learners substituting vague verbs of class membership (“is a,” “has a”) for highly specific action verbs (“activates,” “binds”) when learning biology. One possible implication is that prompting students to pick up on specific action verbs while reading biology texts—in addition to making inferences during reading—could prompt more benefit from reading these types of texts.

Seeing What They See: Elementary EFL Students Reading Science Texts

Science texts use various text features and multiple representations to communicate meaning to their readers. English science texts are challenging for elementary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Taiwan because they are familiar with reading language-controlled texts from textbooks. Teaching students to make use of various text features and visual representations will help them achieve a more successful science text reading experience. In this study, 27 Grade 6 Taiwanese students were instructed in science text reading strategies that included understanding text features, creating imagery, and using visual representations. Before and after the instruction, they took an English reading and writing test. Their eye movements during science text reading were recorded before and after the instruction to more fully understand their visual attention while reading English science texts. Eye movement performances such as number of fixations, mean fixation duration, and saccade size were examined. The findings showed that although the participants’ English reading and writing performance improved in the post-test, they focussed more on the written language than the visuals in both tests. More visual representation reading strategies should therefore be taught to help young EFL students read and learn from science texts.

Effects of student-generated drawing and imagination on science text reading in a computer-based learning environment

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of student-generated drawing and imagination on learning recall, learning transfer, and cognitive load, and also students’ attitudes towards the learning strategies when learning a computer-based science text, compared to learning with provided pictures. The study used three groups: drawing group, imagining group, and picture group (control). A total of 82 undergraduate students from a southeast university in the United States participated in this study. Results indicated there were no significant differences in the learning recall and transfer of the three groups overall; however, students’ prior knowledge and spatial ability were positively and significantly correlated with their learning recall and transfer. When spatial ability was high, students in the drawing group had significantly higher learning recall than students in the imagining group; and students in the imagining group had significantly higher learning transfer than students in the picture group. The drawing group had significantly higher cognitive load than the picture group. Students perceived drawing, imagining, and reading with pictures for learning as useful and there were no significant differences in their perceived usefulness among the three groups, but students were more intended to learn with provided pictures than to generate drawings. Discussions and implications are provided.

Determination of pre-service science teachers’ attitudes towards reading science texts

The purpose of the current study is to determine the effects of the variables such as gender, grade level, grade point average and book reading frequency on pre-service science teachers’ attitudes towards science texts. The sampling of the current study is comprised of 103 pre-service science teachers enrolled at the Education Faculty of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University in the spring term of 2017-2018 academic year. In the current study, in order to determine the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards reading science texts, “The Scale of Attitudes towards Reading Science Texts” was used. The effects of gender and grade level on the pre-service science teachers’ attitudes towards reading science texts were analyzed with independent samples t-test and the effects of academic achievement and book reading frequency were analyzed with one-way variance analysis (ANOVA). As a result of the study, it was concluded that the gender and grade level variables have significant effects on the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards reading science texts in the sub-dimensions of making use of science texts when possible, denial and contribution of reading science texts to learning and skills and that the general grade point average and book reading frequency have significant effects on the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards reading science texts in the sub-dimension of making use of science texts <br />when possible.

Enhancing student access to science curricula through a reading intervention

AbstractThe current study explored whether a reading intervention combining flexibly applied multisyllabic word‐decoding strategies with evidence‐based fluency strategies was effective in improving the science text reading skills of upper‐elementary struggling readers. Four students, three in fourth and one in fifth grade, participated in the study. A delayed multiple baseline design was utilized, with a staggered 3‐week baseline followed by 8 weeks of reading intervention. Three students demonstrated small to moderate gains in reading fluency on science instructional passages, but no generalized gains in reading fluency on standardized passages. All students demonstrated direct gains in multisyllabic word‐decoding accuracy on science instructional passages, but no generalized gains in decoding accuracy on standardized passages. Participating students rated the intervention favorably and perceived gains in their reading skills. These findings support the use of science curricular passages when implementing reading interventions to enhance students’ ability to access the curriculum.

The effects of classroom noise on the reading comprehension of adolescents.

An investigation has been carried out to examine the impact of different levels of classroom noise on adolescents' performance on reading and vocabulary-learning tasks. A total of 976 English high school pupils (564 aged 11 to 13 years and 412 aged 14 to 16 years) completed reading tasks on laptop computers while exposed to different levels of classroom noise played through headphones. The tasks consisted of reading science texts, which were followed by multiple-choice questions probing comprehension and word learning. Number of questions attempted, times taken to read the texts and to answer questions were recorded, as well as correct answers to different types of question. The study consisted of two similar experiments, the first comparing performance in classroom noise at levels of 50 and 70 dB LAeq; and the second at levels of 50 and 64 dB LAeq. The results showed that the performance of all pupils was significantly negatively affected in the 70 dB LAeq condition, for the number of questions attempted and the accuracy of answers to factual and word learning questions. It was harder to discern effects at 64 dB LAeq, this level of noise having a detrimental effect upon the older pupils only.

Literacy, Equity, and the Employment of iPads in the Classroom: A Comparison of Secure and Developing Readers

This study explored 6th grade students reading of science text on the iPad to better understand how students with varying strengths of comprehending text and current academic abilities interpret text on their iPads. Our study sample compared three students with strong reading scores based on informal reading inventories, standardized tests, and other literacy measures with students who have not yet demonstrated strong reading scores on the same assessments. Verbal protocols allowed us to look at individual student‟s cognitive processes while reading assigned science text on the iPad. We analyzed data based on the theory of Constructively Responsive reading (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995). Our data shows that while secure readers fit Pressley and Afflerbach‟s description of a „massively active‟ reader, verbal protocols for developing readers revealed students‟ difficulty constructing meaning with the text. In addition, self-efficacy and navigational skills on the iPad differed between secure and developing readers. The differences in processing between students in our secure and developing groups points to the need for increased support for developing readers as they navigate reading of science texts on the iPad.

Studia na kierunku pedagogika specjalna jako przestrzeń czytania naukowego

The author describes the properties of modern ways of “reading in science”. It emphasizes the relationship between the type of text (digital, printed) and the kind of reading activity. He points out that reading science texts by scholars is rarely done in full and in linear order. Reading in science, requires active engagement in text, information processing and efficient selection to fully understand content. Analyzing the changes that have taken place with the advent of the C generation, he analyzes “reading in college”. He argues that contemporary students (special education) – representatives of the computerized generation – connected -always clicking – have dropped printed text and are not interested in books as a source of knowledge. Although they have a proficiency in searching online resources, they experience difficulties in using the text and its content. By copying the thesis, the author presents the results of the research conducted in this field and refers to many publications on this subject. Clearly recognizes the need to prepare future students for a rational and critical use of scholarly reading, to learn how to study a scholarly work (both at the earlier stages of education and within the university education system). Also, believes that pedagogical thinking and action derive both from the association with the scientific texts and from reading literature. Reading is an irreplaceable way to enrich the sensitivity and imagination of future teachers (special).

Pokretljivost kože i ekspresije lica u nauci i umetnosti

Skin as a phenomenon includes a variety of terms such as skin intelligence, skin erection, skin shyness, skin fantasy and memories, character armor, skin flickering, trans-flicker, thick skin. Within their meaning they are all connected by one common thread: communication through skin. Skin communicates via ''drawing'' which can be seen on it: engraved lines, streaks, dots, channels, complex line systems, glow, flickerings... That is the ''natural drawing'' as the anatomy names it and describes it. The basic trait of a natural skin drawing is movement and its incessant transforming. The mobility of facial skin exceeds that of skin of any other body part. Skin transformation entails posing a series of questions: specific mechanisms of the natural drawing, its psychical meaning, the question of true causes, constancy or mobility of the drawing, meaning, purpose of mobility, why of all the organs the skin stands out as crucial to understanding human body or man, in the field of science as well as in the art field. Studying the natural drawing on the skin, within art is possible to remodel into meanings and systematically fill up by examining its mobility. Even by only naming the phenomena and terms related to human skin we get an insight into the broadness of the subject, however the idea of the text is to carry out a systematization of the abovementioned phenomena similar to an illustrated poetic-anatomy glossary which, in this case, brings us closer to the facial skin phenomenon as the most extreme one when it comes to mobility. The illustrations which are embedded in the text are literally examples from art in the form of drawings, sculptures and photographs, only the verbal part of the text which explains less adopted scientific terms related to skin such as: Character armor, Skin erection, Skin memories, which contribute to feeling the importance of the skin in communication more intensely, can also be subsumed under the illustration. Reading scientific texts can lead to fine art solutions and allow for deeper and invisible connections to be experienced. By its difficulty the term Natural drawing, which is adopted in the medical anatomy textbook, especially stands out and creates a connection between two areas of human activities, anatomy and art. Involved features on the skin of the human body in their apparent heterogeneity are unified by movement as their common feature, a feature which is the main quality of life from the scientific as well as from the artistic point of view. Reduced to its most simple formula, the causes of skin mobility are of indivisible psychosomatic origin. True cause of movement is rush: the rush of life, rush of tears, rush of sexual urges, rush of moral barriers, rush of passion, rush of aggressiveness, rush of thrill, rush of air, rush of lying. It can most easily be seen on the face, because facial skin is a projection surface on which even the slightest emotion is shown as the first signal. Interpreting those movements has its own practical purpose in judiciary, criminology, medicine, art, as well as in everyday communication.

Assessing Metacognitive Components in Self-Regulated Reading of Science Texts in E-Based Environments

The boom in Internet and communication technology has accelerated change in information delivery channels from paper to networked, digital displaying devices. Reading electronically has altered the cognitive and metacognitive processes readers use to approach science texts. Assessing reading in a digitized environment also opens up opportunities to examine the recursive process of self-regulated learning. However, a systematic analysis in this area across paper- and e-based environments is lacking. This study explores methods of assessing metacognition in reading informational science texts to address this gap. A total of 55 studies in 47 articles published from 1990 to 2016 investigating effects of metacognition on science reading are reviewed. The analysis reveals frequently applied methods, including self-report questionnaires for measuring metacognitive knowledge, event-based assessment for metacognitive skills, and questionnaires or interviews for metacognitive experiences. Community acceptable instruments are presented and illustrated. E-based environment has potential to support comprehensive and complicated measurement of metacognition. Future research may further the investigation of interactions among metacognitive components by designing sequential tasks and combining multiple assessment methods. Finally, triangulation of findings from various methods is essential in assessing metacognition involved in self-regulated reading.

Eye-movement patterns and reader characteristics of students with good and poor performance when reading scientific text with diagrams

This study investigated the cognitive processes and reader characteristics of sixth graders who had good and poor performance when reading scientific text with diagrams. We first measured the reading ability and reading self-efficacy of sixth-grade participants, and then recorded their eye movements while they were reading an illustrated scientific text and scored their answers to content-related questions. Finally, the participants evaluated the difficulty of the article, the attractiveness of the content and diagram, and their learning performance. The participants were then classified into groups based on how many correct responses they gave to questions related to reading. The results showed that readers with good performance had better character recognition ability and reading self-efficacy, were more attracted to the diagrams, and had higher self-evaluated learning levels than the readers with poor performance did. Eye-movement data indicated that readers with good performance spent significantly more reading time on the whole article, the text section, and the diagram section than the readers with poor performance did. Interestingly, readers with good performance had significantly longer mean fixation duration on the diagrams than readers with poor performance did; further, readers with good performance made more saccades between the text and the diagrams. Additionally, sequential analysis of eye movements showed that readers with good performance preferred to observe the diagram rather than the text after reading the title, but this tendency was not present in readers with poor performance. In sum, using eye-tracking technology and several reading tests and questionnaires, we found that various cognitive aspects (reading strategy, diagram utilization) and affective aspects (reading self-efficacy, article likeness, diagram attraction, and self-evaluation of learning) affected sixth graders’ reading performance in this study.

Increasing Comprehension of Expository Science Text for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Using a multiple baseline single-subject design, this study evaluated the effects of a text structure intervention package on the ability of students with autism to comprehend traditional science texts. Three high school students with high-functioning autism and their teacher participated in this study. The intervention package included instruction in types of text structures using a text structure organization sheet before reading, and completing an analysis and summary sheet during and after reading. Results indicated that the instruction was highly effective during intervention and maintenance phase for all three participants. The first-year special education teacher was able to implement the intervention with fidelity. All participants agreed that the intervention was helpful for reading science texts. Future research and implications for classroom intervention is discussed.

Helping Students Bridge Inferences in Science Texts Using Graphic Organizers

AbstractThe difficulties that students face when reading science texts go beyond understanding vocabulary and syntactic structures. Comprehension of science texts requires students to infer how these texts function as a unit to communicate scientific meaning. To help students in this process, science texts sometimes employ logical connectives (e.g., because, therefore) that serve as landmarks that students can use to create a mental model of the text. Yet, how often are logical connectives used to mark inferences in science texts, and what can teachers do to support their students when these connectives are absent? This article discusses the frequency and types of logical connectives in four science textbooks and illustrates the types of obstacles that science texts present for students in their inference‐making process. Further, this article offers teachers a practical strategy that they can use to apprentice their students into the ways that science texts function to communicate scientific concepts.

Using metacognitive strategies in teaching to facilitate understanding of light concepts among year 9 students

Background: Enhancing students’ metacognitive abilities will help to facilitate their understanding of science concepts.Purpose: The study was designed to conduct and evaluate the effectiveness of a repertoire of interventions aimed at enhancing secondary school students’ metacognitive capabilities and their achievements in science.Sample: A class of 35 Year 9 students participated in the study.Design and methods: The study involved a pre-post design, conducted by the first author as part of the regular designated science programme in a class taught by him.In order to enhance the students’ metacognitive capabilities, the first author employed clearly stated focused outcomes, engaging them in collaborative group work, reading scientific texts and using concept mapping techniques during classroom instruction. The data to evaluate the effectiveness of the metacognitive interventions were obtained from pre- and post-test results of two metacognitive questionnaires, the Metacognitive Support Questionnaire (MSpQ) and the Metacognitive Strategies Questionnaire (MStQ), and data from interviews. In addition, pre-test and post-test scores were used from a two-tier multiple-choice test on Light.Results: The results showed gains in the MSpQ but not in the MStQ. However, the qualitative data from interviews suggested high metacognitive capabilities amongst the high- and average-achieving students at the end of the study. Students gains were also evident from the test scores in the Light test.Conclusion: Although the quantitative data obtained from the Metacognitive Strategies Questionnaire did not show significant gains in the students’ metacognitive strategies, the qualitative data from interviews suggested positive perceptions of students’ metacognitive strategies amongst the high- and average-achieving students. Data from the Metacognitive Support Questionnaire showed that there were significant gains in the students’ perceptions of their metacognitive support implying that the majority of the students perceived that their learning environment was oriented towards the development of their metacognitive capabilities. The effect of the metacognitive interventions on students’ achievement in the Light test resulted in students displaying the correct declarative knowledge, but quite often they lacked the procedural knowledge by failing to explain their answers correctly.

Addressing Three Common Myths About the Next Generation Science Standards

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) were released over two years ago, misconceptions about what they are--and are not--persist. The NGSS provide for consistent science education opportunities for all students--regardless of demographics--with a level of rigor expected in every location and community. All students can study and achieve in science. The NGSS are based upon the National Research Council's consensus report A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012). The NGSS passed a fidelity review by the NRC in which reviewers analyzed the congruency of the standards with the vision and content of the Framework. As a New York science teacher active in local, state, and national discussions about sciene standards, and a member of the NGSS writing team, I have encountered common misconceptions about the NGSS in these discussions with fellow teachers. In this article, I address the misconceptions most relevant in the science classroom. Myth 1: Science in elementary school is already contained in the Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts The Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts (CCSS, ELA) (NGAC and CCSSO 2010) being used in many states do not replace meaningful science instruction that integrates three-dimensional learning outlined in the Framework. The CCSS, ELA standards on technical literacy are not intended to supplant science learning as called for in the NGSS. And yet many teachers at the elementary level are being told by administrators that the science in the CCSS, ELA should be the extent of a student's science instruction. The major concern is that the explicit call to read about science in the CCSS, ELA may be implemented in a way that would limit the engagement of students with disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices (NRC 2014). Students being taught using only the CCSS, ELA approach miss the opportunity to develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, and engage in argument from evidence. They cannot come close to experiencing the vision for science and engineering education articulated in the Framework and NGSS. The shift should be from teaching about science to engaging students in science and engineering practices. In this vision, core ideas are used as evidence in scientific arguments and to support explanations. The focus moves from the memorization of content to the understanding and application of ideas. Being literate in science and engineering requires one to possess skills in reading, understanding, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. But this is only one of the eight practices specified in the Framework and NGSS. The Framework points out that even if a student has developed grade-appropriate reading skills, just reading about science is often challenging to students. Three reasons are: * Science texts make extensive use of complex sentence structure and passive voice. They contain special words that are essentially unfamiliar. Often, these special words are ambiguous to students. * Reading a science text is quite different from reading a novel or newspaper. The precise meaning of each word or clause may be important. Therefore, science texts must be read to extract information accurately. * Science texts are multimodal, using a mix of words, graphs, diagrams, tables, and mathematics to communicate information. Understanding science requires more than simply knowing the meanings of technical terms (NRC 2012). Stage et al. (2013) assert that concurrent development in CCSS, ELA and CCSS, Mathematics has provided an opportunity to enhance literacy and math processes and proficiencies from a science education perspective. Goals for literacy, math, and science education may build students' capacity to engage in argument from evidence. The shift from doing more than just reading science texts should not be interpreted to mean that reading is not important in science. …

Bridging Skill and Task-Oriented Reading

Some individual difference factors are more strongly correlated with performance on postreading questions when the text is not available than when it is. The present study explores if similar interactions occur with bridging skill, which refers to a reader's propensity to establish connections between explicit text during reading. Undergraduates read science texts using two research tools. The Reading Strategy-Assessment Tool provided a measure of bridging skill. Texts and postreading questions were presented in Read&Answer, and the availability of the text while answering was manipulated. Contrary to prior research, bridging skill was comparably correlated with performance in both availability conditions. Although bridging skill was not correlated with search decisions, there was a trend toward a positive correlation with search time, suggesting that readers who tend to bridge more may also tend to persist longer in searching for answers. The results are discussed in terms of dynamic perspectives of task-oriented reading.