自我提问对大学生英语阅读理解的效应

该文以图式理论、元认知理论和积极加工理论为依据,采用微变化的研究方法,以华南农业大学122名学生为实验对象,就自我提问策略对中国大学生外语阅读理解的效应进行了探索,结果发现：自我提问策略能够促进中国大学生外语阅读理解;通过自我提问策略培训,阅读水平较低的学生阅读理解能力收获最大;学生的阅读理解水平与他们能提出的问题类型显著相关,提出问题的认知水平越高,其阅读理解水平越高,反之亦然;对外语学习进行自我提问策略培训能够提高学生的提问水平。     

Measuring ESL readers’ ability to apply reasoning in reading: a validity study of the TOEFL reading comprehension subtest

This paper reports the results of an attempt to measure English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ability to apply reasoning in reading. The elicitation instrument was an experimental test which was developed from a model of reading comprehension based upon cognitive activities which Piaget referred to as concrete operations. The experimental test delineated Piaget's concrete operations in prose text and set them against difficulty criteria. The experimental test which measured the ability to apply reasoning in reading and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) were administered to a pool of adult ESL subjects. The results indicated that the TOEFL reading comprehension subtest does not measure the ability to apply reasoning in reading; thus, its validity as a measure of reading is in doubt. Significant effects were also shown for the paragraph types and the item types in the experimental test. The items based on the classification paragraphs were significantly more difficult than the items based on the serial paragraphs. In like manner, the items based on the multiplication paragraphs were significantly more difficult than the items based on the addition paragraphs. And finally, the intension questions which concerned the properties of a class were significantly more difficult than the extension questions which dealt with the members of classes. The results of this study indicate a need for further, increased attention to the measurement of reading to solve problems in ESL reading assessment and to the effects of the different structural organizations of ideas (e.g., addition, classification, multiplication, and series) and the interrelations of ideas on the comprehension process. The motivation for this line of research derives from the pragmatic interest of those researchers concerned with the communicative aspects of a text and the manner in which authors organize their ideas. Current research is beginning to explain the complex interaction between text structure and the reader's processing of such structure which further explicates the comprehension process.     

Effects of self-questioning on EFL students’ engagement in literary reading / Los efectos del autocuestionamiento en la lectura comprometida de textos literarios de estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera

This study examines the effects of self-questioning on EFL students’ literary reading engagement. Two interventions were tested: (1) students generating questions while reading short stories, and then exploring their questions in small-groups; and (2) students generating questions while reading, and then reflecting through a free writing activity. Participants were 59 Vietnamese undergraduate students enrolled in an English as a foreign language course. A pre-test post-test control group design with switching replications was used, with a control condition in which the teacher (instead of the students) posed the questions. Students’ reading engagement was measured by a written response to a short story and a questionnaire. Results showed that both self-questioning interventions positively influenced students’ reading engagement compared to the control condition. A maintenance of effects was also observed. We conclude that self-questioning combined with group discussions or free writing promotes students’ reading engagement.     

The effects of summarization instruction on text comprehension of students with learning disabilities.

This study examined the effectiveness of a summarization strategy for increasing comprehension of expository prose in students with learning disabilities. Thirty students with learning disabilities from Grades 6 through 9 were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In addition, 15 students without disabilities served as a normal comparison group for comprehension. Students in the experimental condition were trained to criterion on five rules of summarization. Direct instruction in the summarization strategy significantly increased reading comprehension of the students in the experimental group. Strategy usage was maintained over time, and students were reported to generalize its use.     

Schema effects in EFL reading comprehension

Schemata are known to play an important a role in reading comprehension. Comprehension is seen as the interaction between top-down processing from activated schemata and bottom-up processing from concepts expressed by the text. If readers activate an inappropriate schema, they may miss the meaning of the text. The present study examines the effects of faulty schemata on reading comprehension. At the end of an advanced English reading course at Haifa University, a test of reading comprehension was administered to 125 students. One section of the test contained an advanced level text about love and marriage, a text close to the personal experience of the examinees. Using dictionaries, students translated expressions and sentences and answered short-answer comprehension questions in English. Results indicated that 23% of the wrong answers to the comprehension questions were driven by schemata which differed substantially from the actual content of the text.     

Investigating the contributions of background knowledge and reading comprehension strategies to L2 reading comprehension: an exploratory study

While a number of studies have investigated the influence of background knowledge and reading comprehension strategies on comprehension, no L2 research exists examining and comparing the unique contributions of these two variables examined together. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the combined and individual contributions of background knowledge and reading comprehension strategies to reading comprehension. Data collected from 20 university-level English language learners were analyzed using regression analyses. The results indicated that background knowledge and reading comprehension strategies, operationalized as self-questioning, combined to account for a significant portion of variance in reading comprehension scores, with self-questioning being a stronger predictor of reading comprehension than background knowledge.     

Effects of self-questioning training on college students' comprehension of lectures

Previous research has shown that self-questioning is an effective strategy for improving reading comprehension. The present study extended this line of research by investigating the use of self-questioning strategies with orally presented material. The study examined the relative effectiveness of four learning strategies on college students' comprehension of lectures and on their feelings of control over their success in learning. The four strategy conditions were self-and peer-questioning in small cooperative groups, independent self-questioning, review in small cooperative groups, and independent review. Students in the self-questioning conditions were trained to use a self-questioning procedure to process information presented in lecture. Results indicated that both of the self-questioning strategies significantly improved lecture comprehension over time. Significant differences were also found among the strategies with the self/peer questioners as well as the self-questioners showing post-treatment comprehension superior to that of participants using either of the review strategies. No significant change was found for students' feelings of control. These results suggest that practice in this self-questioning information-processing procedure can effectively improve college students' comprehension of lectures.     

An Investigation of an Intervention to Promote Inference Generation by Adolescent Poor Comprehenders

This brief experimental study investigated the initial promise of an intervention designed to promote inference generation in adolescents with reading comprehension difficulties. The intervention, provided for nine sessions, included multisyllable word study, teacher explanation and modeling of inference generation and other comprehension processes, and having students practice by thinking aloud about text. Research questions addressed proximal effects on measures of the intermediate goals of the intervention and effects on reading comprehension. Participants were 48 ninth grade students with reading comprehension difficulties, randomly assigned to experimental or time‐on‐task control conditions. No significant group differences were detected; however, effect sizes in the moderate range indicated meaningful effects on some proximal measures, suggesting that further study of the approach is warranted.     

词汇潜能开发与阅读能力的培养

长期以来，人们总以为阅读能力取决于词汇量，其实这种提法不够准确。词汇量与阅读能力是否成正比，取决于词汇的积累过程，单纯地背单词难于相应提高阅读能力，只有通过阅读才能使词汇量与阅读能力协调发展。在阅读过程中进行词汇潜能训练，可以使学生在现有的词汇量基础上，能动地运用自己已有知识、经验和认知策略，最大限度地发挥自己的阅读能力。     

Knowledge, writing, and language outcomes for a reading comprehension and writing intervention

Many students struggle with gaining knowledge and writing about content text material and therefore require effective intervention. In a randomized controlled trial study, 77 low-achieving fourth-grade students received reading comprehension instruction or reading comprehension plus writing instruction or were assigned to a no-treatment control. Knowledge outcomes were evaluated through students’ retelling and performance on a standardized reading test. Written language-based outcomes were analyzed using a computer software program for semantic and syntactic measures. Analyses indicated that students in reading comprehension instruction and reading comprehension plus writing instruction outperformed the control group on oral and written retelling, a standardized reading test, and semantic measures. Syntactic measures, however, did not show statistically significant differences by treatment or control group. Implications for including language instruction and assessments within multi-component instruction are suggested.     

Learning from expository texts: Effects of the interaction of prior knowledge and text structure on responses to different question types

The objective of this study was to verify the effects of the interaction between text structures and prior knowledge on memory and learning from expository texts. It examined the effects of two levels of prior knowledge and two types of mixed structures on a post-reading questionnaire. A total of 119 French-speaking, sixth-grade subjects were selected on the basis of a multiple-choice questionnaire. This questionnaire served to distinguish two groups, one possessing a high level of prior knowledge about the topic covered in the text (HP group), and another having a low level of prior knowledge (LP group). The children’s reading ability was evaluated by a cloze test that also served to eliminate children with reading comprehension difficulties from the experimental groups. The subjects in each group were arbitrarily assigned to subgroups. One group read an experimental passage, “The effects of acid rain on maple and pine”, which was organized in a collection inserted in cause/effect structure (SI). The other group read the same information, but which was organized in a comparison inserted in cause/effect structure (S2). The post-reading measure consisted of 24 questions that varied according to three criteria. The statistical analysis revealed that the effects of text structure were dependent on the level of prior knowledge and on the type of questions and confirmed that prior knowledge had a determining influence on knowledge acquisition.     

思维导图在高中英语阅读教学中的应用探研

思维导图是一种将知识结构、思维模式发散化、图像化、可视化的思维工具,常用于文本阅读、文本学习、文本研究等方面。教师在高中英语阅读教学中应通过流程式思维导图、结构式思维导图、互动式思维导图、对比式思维导图,将知识碎片加工整合,帮助学生理解、推理和学习,提高学生的阅读理解能力,培养学生的英语思维和英语素养。     

The role of background knowledge in text comprehension for children learning English as an additional language

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) often experience difficulties with reading comprehension relative to their monolingual peers. While low levels of vocabulary appear to be one factor underlying these difficulties, other factors such as a relative lack of appropriate background knowledge may also contribute. Sixteen children learning EAL and 16 of their monolingual peers, matched for word reading accuracy, were assessed using a standard measure of reading comprehension and an experimental measure of reading comprehension for which relevant background knowledge was taught before assessing understanding. Tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary were also completed. Results confirmed lower levels of reading comprehension for children learning EAL for both standard and ‘background’ controlled measures. Analysis of comprehension by question type on the experimental measure showed that while both groups made use of taught knowledge to answer inferential questions, children learning EAL had specific difficulties with both literal questions and questions requiring the interpretation of a simile. It is suggested that relevant background information should be used to facilitate children's text comprehension. Furthermore, several factors, especially vocabulary differences, but also text search strategies, context use and comprehension monitoring skills, may contribute to the comprehension difficulties experienced by children learning EAL.     

The Effects of Retelling Upon Reading Comprehension and Recall of Text Information

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of retelling (free recall) upon the comprehension and recall of text information for 93 fourth-grade students. Subjects were assigned randomly to one of two generative learning strategy treatment conditions: retelling or illustrating. Subjects participated in four training sessions and one test session. For each of the four training sessions subjects silently read a passage and then, according to treatment condition, either retold the important parts of the passage or illustrated the important parts of the passage. For the test passage all subjects silently read the passage, and then rendered a free recall. Two days later all subjects rendered a delayed free recall and answered 10 literal and 10 inferential questions about the test passage. Statistically significant differences were found on all measures of reading comprehension and recall (immediate free recall, two-day delayed free recall, and responses to literal and inferential questions) in favor of the subjects who received practice in retelling. The results suggest that retelling is a highly potent generative learning strategy and that retelling has direct, beneficial consequences for children's processing of subsequent text.     

Cognitive and Social Factors Affecting Arab Students Learning English as a Third Language in Israel

This study investigated the relationship between attitudes, interest, and culture, on the one hand, and reading comprehension in English as a third language on the other. Participants were 70 native Arab students aged 15-16 who were sampled from three high schools in the Haifa area. They were administered an attitude questionnaire, culturally familiar and culturally unfamiliar stories, multiple-choice comprehension questions and an interest questionnaire. The results revealed that the Arab students' attitudes towards English were more instrumental than integrative; and their attitude towards the English learning situation was positive. Further, they were more interested in the familiar cultural story than in the unfamiliar one, and they performed accordingly. In other words, type of text (culturally familiar/unfamiliar) was the only significant predictor of reading comprehension in English. However, when reading scores were regressed on the independent variables controlling for text type, interest was the only significant predictor. Thus, in the Israeli-Arab situation, learner interest and type of text are powerful predictors of comprehension of English as a third language.     

元认知策略在英语阅读中的运用

如何提高阅读理解能力是大学英语教学中的一个重点和难点。本文通过阐述元认知策略对英语阅读的影响,重点剖析了元认知策略的建构及其在英语阅读中的运用,认为教师在阅读教学过程中,应自觉培养学生使用元认知策略提高阅读理解能力。     

Improving content area reading comprehension of Spanish speaking English learners in Grades 4 and 5 using web-based text structure instruction

Reading and comprehending content area texts is important for academic and professional success as well as life skills necessary to maintain good health and quality lifestyle. Spanish speaking English language learners have shown poor performance on high-stakes assessments in reading comprehension. The number of Spanish speaking English learners (ELs) in our schools continues to increase at a fast pace, and therefore it is imperative that we address their reading comprehension needs swiftly and effectively. The text structure strategy has shown positive results on comprehension outcomes in many research studies with students at Grades 2, 4, 5, and 7. This study is the first implementation of instruction about the text structure strategy expressly designed to accommodate the linguistic and comprehension needs of Spanish speaking ELs in Grades 4 and 5. Strategy instruction on the web for English learners (SWELL) was designed to deliver instruction about the text structure strategy to Spanish speaker English learners. A randomized controlled study with pre and post-tests was conducted with 14 classrooms at fourth-grade and 17 classrooms at fifth-grade in high poverty schools where over 85% of students were Spanish speaking bilinguals or ELs. Analysis of data using multi-level models show moderate to large-effects favoring the students in the SWELL classrooms over the business as usual control classrooms on important measures such as a standardized reading comprehension test and main idea and cloze tasks. This research has practical implications for the use of web-based tools to provide high-quality and supportive instruction to improve Spanish speaking ELs reading comprehension skills.     

促进推理和批评阅读能力的实证研究———以篇章语境的认知建构为视角

任何篇章都是语境的产物,语言语境、情景语境和文化语境构成篇章的意义基础。通过篇章语境层次的认知和建构来隐性地促进推理阅读能力和批评阅读能力,是英语专业高年级阶段阅读能力提高的尝试性途径之一。高级英语课程为这一实验教学提供理想的研究背景,在教学内容框架上展开对作品相关的各类语境的建构和分析,在教学组织模式上基于建构主义理念下的主题教学模式。实验教学结果显示：语境认知建构促进学生推理阅读能力和批评阅读能力的提高,有助于学生概述能力的培养,实验后调查表明学生主观上对语境认知建构教学总体持赞同态度。     

图式理论与英语阅读理解能力的关系及其在英语阅读教学中的应用

培养学生的阅读能力是中学英语教学的主要任务之一。实验证明 ,在英语阅读教学中是否有效运用图式理论对能否快速提高学生阅读能力有很大影响。在教学实践中运用图式理论 ,丰富和积累学生头脑中的图式并指导学生及时激活和运用这些图式 ,对提高学生的阅读理解能力大有帮助     

Effects of the TWA strategy on expository reading comprehension of students with autism

High‐functioning students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been shown to have significant reading comprehension difficulty. This multiple baseline study examined the effect of the think before reading, think while reading, and think after reading (TWA) strategy on expository text comprehension of four boys with ASD. Following baseline, each student received six sessions of TWA instruction. Data were collected on retell and comprehension question accuracy during the baseline, intervention and maintenance phases. Results supported the effectiveness of TWA as a reading strategy to increase the expository text comprehension of students with ASD. Effects during the intervention phase were immediate and consistent for comprehension questions, with greater variability observed for retell. Data collected at maintenance suggested that the gains were sustained for both comprehension questions and retell.