Influence of subject matter setting on comprehension monitoring

Research on the influence of subject matter setting on comprehension monitoring by secondary school students is reported in this article. Subjects were led to believe that they were reading passages from a science textbook in a science class or, alternatively, from a newspaper in a language class. Comprehension monitoring was expected to diminish in a situation in which information was acquired from a scientific source, in a science class, when compared to a situation in which information was acquired from a less authoritative source, like a newspaper, in a language class. Comprehension monitoring was measured by analyzing subjects' responses to a questionnaire and their written recall of several contradictory texts. Contrary to what was expected, evaluation and regulation of comprehension increased in the science setting. It was concluded that comprehension monitoring is dependent on subject matter setting, and that science education has a beneficial effect on this variable.