Research shows that students who have a good understanding of narrative text structure have fewer problems comprehending stories. Research also suggests that many students require explicit instruction in how to comprehend this text type. While some children are able to figure out the more elaborate structure of narrative text on their own (i.e.,…

College students with either high or low prior domain knowledge (PK) read a text chapter presented in short pages on a computer monitor. Half of the participants read with headings present and half with headings absent. The computer recorded time spent reading and rereading each short page. Learning was assessed through a structured recall task.…

Investigates text cues and comprehension strategies used by competent readers comprehending lengthy written arguments. Finds that both text structure and signaling in introductions and conclusions consistently influenced the 12th-grade advanced placement English students' responses. Notes that these cues helped students recognize the argument…

A study examined what happened when a group of adult students read a hypertext for the goal of answering specific questions. Subjects, 30 students enrolled in an upper-division psychology course at a state university in the northwestern United States, read a binary tree-structured hypertext to answer three two-part questions on the topic of…

Suggests that (1) readers store a substantial amount of text-sequencing information; (2) memory for text-sequencing information is strongly related to comprehension; (3) memory for place on the page is very weak; and (4) memory for place-on-the-page and text-sequencing information appear to be distinct. Indicates that text-sequence information is…

Examines the effects of reading comprehension ability and the presence of explicit or implicit causal relationships upon recall of propositional content and comprehension of interpropositional relationships. Finds that, in the late elementary grades, better readers begin to develop a strategy for the processing of written text which involves…

Investigates how interest and importance interact to affect the strategy use and recall of skilled readers. Finds that readers acted strategically, except when they encountered seductive details: subjects spent a great deal of time on seductive details, even though they considered them highly memorable and unimportant. (RS)

Examines whether text-material presented in "chunks" or phrases significantly improves the reading comprehension of 50 eighth grade students composed of 2 reading ability groups. Finds that "chunking" sentences into meaningful units of thought aids low-ability readers more than high-ability readers. (MG)

Finds two general types of intertextual links: (1) links among ideas, events, and people; and (2) social, cultural, political, and historical connections. Notes that the eight high-school students adopted various discourse stances, reflected in the ways they positioned themselves in relation to the passages, and that they used textual resources in…

Examines proficient and less proficient high school comprehenders' use of strategies as they read three passages with different top-level structures: collection, causation, and comparison. Finds that both groups of readers use similar strategies. Finds that proficient comprehenders use more previous knowledge on the collection passage and more…

A study examined the effect of amount of intervening text on the detection of semantic inconsistencies and use of strategic backtracking, by competent and less competent college readers. Data were elicited from 40 undergraduate students (selected on the basis of their high or low scores on a variety of instruments) enrolled in an introductory…

Reports two studies using a microcomputer-driven self-paced reading task to examine reading strategies of good and poor readers. Finds that reading ability influences reading strategies differently according to whether text is presented in single words or in phrases, and that poor readers read more slowly than good readers. (RS)

Two theoretical perspectives are woven together to frame an approach to classroom reading instruction. Viewing reading instruction from a literary perspective and a psychological perspective has the potential to help students understand the distinctions between different text types and the various purposes for reading--information, enjoyment, and…

A review was conducted of the research related to the ability of elementary school children to carry out search tasks with informational text. The review was organized within a framework of components of the search process: goal formation, text selection, information extraction and integration, and evaluation. The research reviewed suggests that…

To investigate the relationship between reading ability and the detection and repair of text-based (internal) inconsistencies, a study examined 100 college students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course at a large state university. Based on their performance on the comprehension portion of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test,…