The inclusion of "purpose questions" before passages in reading comprehension tests is evaluated in light of recent research related to schema theory and adjunct questions. While research supports the use of purpose questions, gaps and weaknesses in the available data exist. Suggestions for further study are provided. (Author/LMO)

The effects on retention of adjunct questions either placed at the end of a passage or inserted after their respective paragraphs within the passage were examined. Both treatments led to superior retention of the previously questioned facts. The position of the adjunct questions did not differentially affect performance. (Author/BW)

This study investigated the effect on learning of the interspersing of questions with sections of written discourse. A 5,200-word passage was divided into seven sections, from each of which several completion questions were derived. A pair of questions was inserted before, after, or both before and after the section. These questions also formed an…

Research from four subareas of prose learning (advance organizers, response modes, objectives, and inserted questions) is considered and weaknesses in the studies conducted are noted. Suggestions are advanced as to how researchers might profitably spend their energies in the future. (RC)

To test the effects of prequestions and postquestions on word recognition and comprehension, two studies were conducted involving two groups of first through fifth grade students. An informal reading inventory using passages from Harper and Row's "Basic Reading Program" was administered and the results on the lowest instructional and frustrational…

Proposes that questions in textbooks be restructured to include pre-reading questioning techniques as well as review questions and post-reading analysis in order to stimulate interest and give direction to the reading activity. Lists a series of questions for use in geography classes which provide a framework for seeking out salient details,…

This study investigated the effects of training in the use of advance organizers and interspersed questions on the comprehension and attitudes of good, average, and poor eighth-grade readers who were randomly assigned, by intact classroom units, to one of three treatment groups. The first treatment group received eight sessions of training in the…

A model is proposed for memory that stresses a distinction between episodic memory for encoded personal experience and semantic memory for abstractors and generalizations. Basically, the model holds that questions influence the nature of memory representations formed during instruction, and that memory representation controls the way in which…

A 3 x 3 x 2 factorial design was used with 120 undergraduate subjects to study the effects of question type on learning from prose. A 2,000-word reading passage on geological history was presented, with factual questions on each page. Questions were also presented after the reading activity. When compared to a reading only control group, the short…

Reviews results of an experiment comparing the comprehension and recall of four groups: those who watched a videotape without taking notes; those who took notes while watching; those who took notes on questions in advance; those who orally replied to questions while watching. Comprehension was higher in the interactive groups. (MJP)

Adjunct questions are test-like items interspersed at regular intervals, preceding or following prose passages, with the intention of increasing subsequent learning. In this state-of-the-art review, studies which include three major variables--age, ability, and question complexity level--are examined to determine whether a particular combination…

The relationship between placement of adjunct questions in instructional material and incidental and intentional learning was investigated. A total of 150 undergraduate students assigned to five experimental groups studied ten paragraphs with questions interspersed at different locations in the text. Performance on incidental items was…

In this book, information is provided to assist student teachers in planning and implementing lessons, at the secondary school level, through the use of advance organizers. Advance organizers are described as a form of mediating response which precedes a major learning task and provides meaning, structure, and organization to the task and links…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 21 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: effects of methods of study, cognitive style, pre-information on the construction of written material, gender of generic pronouns, and study questions interspersed…