Text Genre and Science Content: Ease of Reading,Comprehension, and Reader Preference

This study examined ease of reading, comprehension, and recall and preference for the same scientific content under two conditions: an informational text and a fictional narrative text. Seventy-four third and fourth graders were assessed individually around the reading of fictional narrative and informational texts that were about either snails or sand. Students’ accuracy and rate of reading were comparable across the two genres. However, students answered more comprehension questions correctly and recalled more key concepts in response to informational text than fictional narrative text. Moreover, students did not express a clear preference for one type of text over the other.     

The Effects of Oral and Silent Reading on Reading Comprehension

This study examined the effects of reading mode (oral and silent) and text genre (narrative and expository) on fourth graders’ reading comprehension. While controlling for prior reading ability of 48 participants, we measured comprehension. Using a repeated measured design, data were analyzed using analysis of covariance, paired t-tests, and correlational statistics. Results revealed that silent reading was stronger for narrative passages in retell measures, but there was no difference for comprehension questions. The expository passages revealed no difference between the reading modes. Comprehension of narrative texts was consistently stronger than expository texts in both silent and oral reading.     

The Contributions of Oral and Silent Reading Fluency to Reading Comprehension

Silent reading fluency has received limited attention in the school-based literatures across the past decade. We fill this gap by examining both oral and silent reading fluency and their relation to overall abilities in reading comprehension in fourth-grade students. Lower-level reading skills (word reading, rapid automatic naming) and vocabulary were included in structural equation models in order to determine their impact on reading fluency and comprehension. Results suggested that oral and silent reading fluency represent separate constructs, but only oral reading fluency contributed to reading comprehension. Vocabulary was found to contribute uniquely to comprehension even after controlling for reading fluency.     

Concurrent and Predictive Validity of Reading Retell as a Brief Measure of Reading Comprehension for Narrative Text

Concurrent and predictive validity between the Retell Reading Rubric (RRR), Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), an adaptation of the DIBELS Retell Fluency (RTF-A), and a state assessment emphasizing reading comprehension were examined across students in grades 3 and 5. Results showed the RRR to have moderate and statistically significant relationships to the ORF, RTF-A, and the state assessment for grade 3, but weaker relationships for grade 5. For grade 3, the RRR accounted for a small significant proportion of variance beyond ORF in predicting outcomes on the state assessment for third grade, but no statistically significant contribution for grade 5.     

Word Reading Efficiency,Text Reading Fluency,and Reading Comprehension Among Chinese Learners of English

This study examined the relationship among word reading efficiency, text reading fluency, and reading comprehension for adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Data from 185 adult Chinese EFL learners preparing to take the Test-of-English-as-a-Foreign-Language? (TOEFL®) were analyzed in this study. The participants completed a computer-based test battery of word reading efficiency and text reading fluency in addition to TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test) reading comprehension. The findings showed a stronger relationship between text oral reading fluency and reading comprehension than between word reading efficiency and reading comprehension. The authors recommended that attention be paid to text oral reading fluency in adult EFL reading research and instruction.     

A Comparison of Reading Rates,Comprehension, and Stamina in Oral and Silent Reading of Fourth-Grade Students

This study examined the relationships between silent and oral reading fluency and comprehension. Findings indicated that fourth grade students had consistent levels of comprehension in both reading modes. Students of all reading levels showed a similar pattern across the segments of a text set in both oral and silent reading—a gradual increase in rate from texts one through three, a drop-off on text four, and the fastest speed on text five. A portion of the sample engaged in abnormally rapid silent reading relative to their oral reading rates coupled with low comprehension. Implications for instruction are discussed.     

Examining the Effects of Reading Modality and Passage Genre on Reading Comprehension in Middle School Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of reading modality (oral versus silent) and passage genre (narrative versus expository) on the reading comprehension of middle school students. A normative sample of sixth- and seventh-grade students (n = 175) read narrative and expository texts from the Qualitative Reading Inventory, Fifth Edition (QRI-5; Leslie &; Caldwell, 2011 Leslie, L., &; Caldwell, J. A. (2011). Qualitative Reading Inventory (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. [Google Scholar]) aloud or silently and then answered questions about what they read. General reading skill was assessed by the Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency, Second Edition (TOSCRF-2; Hammill, Wiederholt, &; Allen, 2014 Hammill, D. D., Wiederholt, J. L., &; Allen, E. A. (2014). Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency, second edition. Austin, TX: PRO-ED. [Google Scholar]). A 2 (passage genre) X 2 (reading modality) mixed between-within subjects ANOVA was conducted separately by grade. Findings suggest that text genre influenced reading comprehension across both sixth- and seventh-grade students. Expository text was more challenging than narrative text in terms of students' understanding. Importantly, reading modality was not found to influence the reading comprehension of seventh-grade students and only approached significance for the sixth-grade students. These results suggest that although students may have effectively transitioned to being independent silent readers, additional pedagogical support may be required to develop effective strategies for understanding expository text.     

学龄早期词语阅读习得对阅读理解能力的预测作用：初始水平和发展速率的贡献

本研究测查了183名儿童在一年级期间（学年初,学年中,学年末）的词语阅读能力（词语解码,阅读流畅性）及一年级末和二年级末的阅读理解能力,采用分层线性模型估计每名儿童在一年级期间词语阅读能力的初始水平和发展速率,以考察二者对阅读理解能力的独立预测作用。结果表明,词语识别的初始水平和增长速率都能独立预测一年级末和二年级末的阅读理解能力,阅读流畅性的初始水平和增长速率只能独立预测二年级末的阅读理解能力,但可以预测阅读理解能力在一年级到二年级的增长。     

Evaluating The Effectiveness of a State-Mandated Benchmark Reading Assessment: mCLASS Reading 3D (Text Reading and Comprehension)

We examined which of two instruments (Text Reading and Comprehension inventory [TRC] or a traditional informal reading inventory [IRI]) provides the more valid assessment of a primary-grade student's reading instructional level. The TRC is currently the required, benchmark reading assessment for students in grades K–3 in the state of North Carolina. The TRC and IRI were administered to 196 students in grades 1–3. Results showed that the TRC, when compared to the IRI, (a) underestimated students’ reading instructional level, and (b) took three times as long to administer. Suggestions for improving the instrument are offered.     

Reading Comprehension: Effects of Individualized,Integrated Language Arts as a Reading Approach with Struggling Readers

This study examined the effects of individualized, integrated language arts as a reading approach on struggling readers' comprehension scores obtained from oral narrative, silent narrative, and silent expository passages at three levels: below-grade, on-grade, and above-grade levels. Students (N = 93) in grades four through eight, who were reading below grade level, participated in the study. Treatment group students (n = 51) received individualized, integrated language arts as a reading approach once a week in place of basal reading instruction. Comparison group students (n = 42) received basal reading instruction for the duration of the study. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze posttest Analytical Reading Inventory (ARI) comprehension scores. Several statistically significant (p < .001) differences in comprehension performance were found for on-grade-level scores and for above-grade-level scores, but few differences were found between treatment and comparison groups on below-grade-level scores. All statistically significant differences favored students in the treatment group. The findings of the study strongly suggest that the use of individualized, integrated language arts as a method for teaching reading is an effective approach for improving the reading comprehension performance of struggling readers.     

文理科大学生不同阅读特点的实验研究

20世纪80年代以来,心理学界对影响文章阅读的因素进行了一系列的研究,并取得了许多有启发意义的结论。Britton等人从文章的维度将影响阅读理解的因素确定为两个,即文章的内容因素和结构因素,认为文章的语义内容越丰富,结构内容越复杂,则分配的认知容量就越多。而张金桥、莫雷等人的研究进一步表明,文章问结构类似促进的是目标文章主要信息的保持迁移,而对细节性信息迁移作用不     

汉语儿童语素意识对阅读理解的影响:默读流畅性的中介效应

通过对149名小学一年级学生两年的追踪研究,在控制了一般认知能力、语音意识以及所关注变量自回归效应的情况下,探讨默读流畅性在语素意识与阅读理解关系中的作用。结果发现：（1）儿童语素意识、默读流畅性及阅读理解随时间均有显著发展;（2）一年级下学期儿童的默读流畅性在一年级上学期语素意识影响二年级上学期阅读理解过程中的中介作用显著,而二年级上学期的默读流畅性在一年级下学期语素意识影响二年级下学期阅读理解过程中的中介作用不显著。结果表明,在小学低年级阶段,默读流畅性在早期语素意识与之后的阅读理解中发挥跨时间点的中介作用,且该中介效应随儿童认知技能的发展会发生一定的变化。     

The Effects of Familiarization with Oral Expository Text on Listening and Reading Comprehension Levels

This study examined the effects of text type and early familiarization with oral expository text structures on listening and reading comprehension levels. Second-grade students read and listened to narrative and expository texts, and their comprehension was assessed with a sentence verification task. Half of the students had participated in a nine-week long intervention designed to familiarize them with oral expository structures in the previous year while in first grade. The findings indicated that familiarization did not lead to the expected advantage of listening over reading for either expository or narrative text. Implications concerning the conceptualization of comprehension as a unitary process construct are discussed.     

小学低年级儿童阅读流畅性的发展轨迹及其对阅读理解的预测作用

对149名小学一年级儿童的阅读流畅性进行历时三年五次的追踪测试,采用潜变量增长模型探索了儿童阅读流畅性的发展轨迹,并在控制相关变量后,考察了阅读流畅性的起始水平和发展速度对阅读理解的预测作用。结果发现：（1）小学低年级儿童字词阅读流畅性呈非线性发展,其中一年级快速发展,二、三年级时进一步发展,但发展速度变缓,起始水平低的儿童其后发展速度快,表现出补偿模式;句子阅读流畅性呈线性发展,儿童个体之间的差异随时间逐渐增大,表现出马太效应;（2）控制一般认知能力、家庭社会经济地位及相关语言认知技能后,字词阅读流畅性的起始水平和发展速度均可预测儿童三年级时阅读理解水平,而句子阅读流畅性的起始水平不能预测,但发展速度有显著预测作用。结果说明字词阅读流畅性和句子阅读流畅性有不同的发展轨迹和发展模式,在小学低年级阶段,相比句子阅读流畅性,儿童字词阅读流畅性的起始水平对阅读理解有预测作用,且两者的发展速度均对阅读理解有预测作用。     

High and Low Reading Comprehension Achievers' Strategic Behaviors and Their Relation to Performance in a Reading Comprehension Situation

This study aimed at investigating the actual strategic behaviors of high and low achievers in reading comprehension and their relation with respective performance. The participants were 45 individually examined third graders, 20 high and 25 low reading comprehension achievers. Cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational aspects of the participants' strategic behaviors during text comprehension was directly recorded by two observers by means of a structured observation form. The results revealed a relatively different profile of strategic behaviors between high and low achievers. Students' strategic behaviors during dealing with text comprehension were strongly related to respective performance for both groups.     

文章标记对阅读理解困难学生信息保持的促进研究

根据阅读理解困难学生不能合理分配注意资源的特点,设置了文章标记这一能引导注意分配的外在线索,并以高层次的主题信息回忆和低层次的从属信息回忆为指标,考察阅读理解正常与困难学生接受标记影响的不同特点。结果表明:(1)文章标记对于阅读理解正常和困难学生的主题信息的回忆均有显著的促进效果,而对于阅读理解困难者的促进作用更为明显。(2)文章标记只促进了阅读理解困难者的从属信息的回忆,对于阅读正常者来说,文章标记反而有损于对从属信息的回忆。     

Levels of Reading Comprehension Across Text Types: A Comparison of Literal and Inferential Comprehension of Expository and Narrative Texts in Iranian EFL Learners

The purpose of this study was to investigate two levels of reading comprehension, namely literal and inferential, of two text types of narration and exposition in Iranian EFL learners. The elicitation instruments were four expository texts and four narrative ones. One hundred eighty upper-intermediate EFL learners were assigned the reading passages followed by both literal and inferential multiple-choice items. Paired-samples t tests were run to provide answers to the research questions of this study. From an inter-text-type angle, the results demonstrated that the participants meaningfully outperformed on the expository texts at the level of literal comprehension. Yet, regarding inferential comprehension, there was no significant difference between the two text types. The results, from an intra-text-type perspective, also revealed that in the expository texts, literal comprehension meaningfully outweighed inferential comprehension, whereas no significant difference was observed between literal and inferential comprehension in the narrative texts. Finally, probable explanations and interpretations for the obtained results were provided.     

Intercultural Rhetoric and Reading Comprehension in a Second Language

Intercultural rhetoric has been studied in the context of second language writing for many decades. This article looks at the topic from a new perspective and offers an experimental study of the effects of intercultural rhetoric on reading comprehension. The experiment was set in Hong Kong, China, and assessed the reading comprehension (using a rational cloze design and quantitative and qualitative recall protocols) of 490 school students who were presented with four rhetorically different texts. Results suggest that the rhetoric of the students’ first language (Chinese) had clear effects on reading comprehension.