Race Differences on a Reading Comprehension Test With and Without Passages

Previous research has found that test takers can score above chance level on reading comprehension tests even when the passages are omitted. The present research investigated whether the effect would vary as a function of race. In Study 1, 386 participants completed a reading test with the passages omitted. General mental ability and race were significantly correlated with test performance. In Study 2, 827 job applicants completed the test as part of an entry-level selection battery. Eliminating items for which large race differences existed in Study 1 had no real effect on the size of the Black-White mean difference.     

The relation between oral reading miscue patterns and comprehension: A test of the relative explanatory power of psycholinguistic and interactive views of reading

The use of oral reading to assess silent reading ability has gained wide acceptance despite the lack of definitive evidence that the two processes are similar. Moreover, there are a number of theoretical positions that run counter to assumptions underlying oral reading error analysis as a measure of silent reading competency. This study examined the relation between multiple oral reading miscue measures and postreading comprehension performance. Correlations between the oral reading and comprehension measures indicated a negative relation between oral reading and recall following the reading of familiar passages and a positive relation between oral reading and an inferential comprehension measure following the reading of unfamiliar passages. In addition, when the subjects read disrupted passages, their attempts at correcting incongruous errors and their self-report interviews indicated that their oral reading was not related to their performance on comprehension product measures. The results, which are discrepant with previous research relating oral reading to comprehension, are discussed in terms of a comparison between psycholinguistic and interactive models of reading comprehension.     

Memory limitations in the oral reading comprehension of fourth-grade children

Four experimental tasks were devised to locate the nature of memory processing limitations in fourth-grade children's oral reading comprehension. Experiment 1 showed that in the reading of very simple prose children can consciously bring memory strategies into play. Even in simple and short prose passages, however, memory limitations upon performance are operative. Experiment 2 showed that in prose of moderate difficulty “executive” memory processes are impaired, such that children can no longer employ memory strategies to facilitate subsequent recall. Experiment 3 showed that in the reading of passages high in difficulty, even short-term recall is impaired. These results were interpreted as consistent with the La Berge and Samuels theory of automatic information processing in reading.     

Sex differences in the effects of interest on boys' and girls' reading comprehension

This study compared the reading comprehension of groups of boys and girls (aged 10–11) on two tests, one of which was about the evacuation of children during the Second World War and the other of which was about spiders. These were the actual year 6 SATS reading tests administered in the UK in 1998 and 1999. The majority of the boys said that they would prefer to read the text about spiders, and the majority of the girls said they would prefer to read the text about leaving home in wartime. These patterns of preference were reflected in the children's performance on the actual tests. However, whereas the boys' comprehension was significantly affected by the content of the tests (they showed better performance on the test about spiders) the girls' performance was relatively little influenced by the content of the test. The implications of these results for testing reading, and for encouraging reading more generally, are discussed.     

Founder of the Journal of Genetic Psychology

Fifteen college-level readers (2 men and 13 women) were given 34 passages from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for reading. During reading, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from the midline sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz) of the participants' scalps. The first 17 passages were read by the participants at their own natural rate (self-paced condition). The second 17 passages were read at a fast-paced rate determined by the fastest reading rate recorded on an adequately comprehended trial from the preceding passages. Results indicated that accelerating reading rate increased the readers' comprehension. Additionally, the increase in reading rate and improvement in comprehension were reflected in the ERP measures. This finding confirms this study's assumption that there is a disparity between reading ability and routine performance, and that this disparity is manifested in measures of neurocognitive functioning as reflected by the ERPs. Specifically, the ERP waveforms discriminated not only reading rate (specifically manifested by differences in speed of processing), but also the level of comprehension attained by the participants.     

Assessing children's inference generation: What do tests of reading comprehension measure?

Background. Previous research suggests that children with specific comprehension difficulties have problems with the generation of inferences. This raises important questions as to whether poor comprehenders have poor comprehension skills generally, or whether their problems are confined to specific inference types. Aims. The main aims of the study were (a) using two commonly used tests of reading comprehension to classify the questions requiring the generation of inferences, and (b) to investigate the relative performance of skilled and less‐skilled comprehenders on questions tapping different inference types. Sample. The performance of 10 poor comprehenders (mean age 110.06 months) was compared with the performance of 10 normal readers (mean age 112.78 months) on two tests of reading comprehension. Method. A qualitative analysis of the NARA II (form 1) and the WORD comprehension subtest was carried out. Participants were then administered the NARA II, WORD comprehension subtest and a test of non‐word reading. Results. The NARA II was heavily reliant on the generation of knowledge‐based inferences, while the WORD comprehension subtest was biased towards the retention of literal information. Children identified by the NARA II as having comprehension difficulties performed in the normal range on the WORD comprehension subtests. Further, children with comprehension difficulties performed poorly on questions requiring the generation of knowledge‐based and elaborative inferences. However, they were able to answer questions requiring attention to literal information or use of cohesive devices at a level comparable to normal readers. Conclusions. Different reading tests tap different types of inferencing skills. Less‐skilled comprehenders have particular difficulty applying real‐world knowledge to a text during reading, and this has implications for the formulation of effective intervention strategies.     

Metacognition in Taiwan: students' calibration of comprehension and performance

Researchers have increasingly investigated the role played by metacognition in students' learning and performance. Metacognition is comprised of metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive experiences, and both components of metacognition are viewed as being important to learning and performance in academic settings. Metacognitive experiences involve, in part, students' awareness of progress on cognitive tasks. Such awareness is critical to learning, for students may fail to spend additional time reviewing or studying material if they believe they have understood the material adequately. In the present study we examined Taiwanese students' ability to assess their comprehension of passages following reading as well as their ability to predict the number of questions they would be able to answer about passage content. Following an actual test on the material, students were asked to assess how many questions they felt they answered correctly about a passage (postdiction). Students were able to predict comprehension and test performance at better than chance levels and were more accurate at postdiction than prediction. Students with better performance, as measured by comprehension test scores, were better at both prediction and postdiction of comprehension performance. However, students' self-assessments of general calibration ability did not relate to their test performance. The metacomprehension skills of Taiwanese students were quite similar to those previously found for western students, but also diverged in some respects.     

Adding Value to Second-Language Listening and Reading Subscores: Using a Score Augmentation Approach

This study examined whether reporting subscores for groups of items within a test section assessing a second-language modality (specifically reading or listening comprehension) added value from a measurement perspective to the information already provided by the section scores. We analyzed the responses of 116,489 test takers to reading and listening items from operational administrations of two large-scale international tests of English as a foreign language. To “strengthen” the reliability of the subscores, and thus improve their added value, we applied a score augmentation method (Haberman, 2008). In doing so, our aim was to examine whether reporting augmented subscores for specific groups of reading and listening items could improve the added value of these subscores and consequently justify providing more fine-grained information about test taker performance. Our analysis indicated that in general, there was lack of support for reporting subscores from a psychometric perspective, and that score augmentation marginally improved the added value of the subscores. We discuss several implications of our findings for test developers wishing to report more fine-grained information about test performance. We conclude by arguing that research on how to best report such refined feedback should remain the focus of future efforts related to second-language proficiency tests.     

American and Chinese Students’ Calibration of Comprehension and Performance

In the present study we examined the ability of American and Chinese undergraduate students to calibrate their understanding of textbook passages translated into their native languages. Students read a series of texts and made predictions of their understanding of each text as well as the number of questions they would be able to answer correctly. Students also made postdictions of their test performance. Chinese students were significantly better than American students in calibrating their understanding of passages and predicting how many comprehension items they would answer correctly. Chinese students also outperformed American students on comprehension tests. All students were able to make more accurate postdictions of comprehension test scores than predictions. Results are related to possible instructional differences between American and Chinese students. Several possible directions for future research are discussed.     

Multiple Science Text Processing: Building Comprehension Skills for College Student Readers

The goal of this investigation was to determine which reading instruction improves multiple science text comprehension for college student readers. The authors first identified the cognitive processing strategies that are predictive of multiple science text comprehension (Study 1) and then used what they learned to experimentally test the effectiveness of explicit pre-reading instructions (Study 2). Study 1 showed that self-explaining was positively related to comprehension tasks. Study 2 showed that explicitly instructing participants to self-explain while reading multiple science texts enhanced comprehension test performance. These results showed that self-explanation during reading is a successful strategy for enhancing multiple science text comprehension.     

Patterns of resource allocation are reliable among younger and older readers

Younger and older adults read short expository passages across 2 times of measurement for subsequent comprehension or recall. Regression analysis was used to decompose word-by-word reading times into resources allocated to word- and textbase-level processes. Readers were more sensitive to these demands when reading for recall than when reading for comprehension. Patterns of resource allocation showed good test-retest reliabilities and were predictive of memory performance. Within age group, resource allocation parameters were not systematically correlated with other individual-difference measures, suggesting that strategies of on-line resource allocation may be a unique source of individual differences in determining comprehension of and memory for text. Age differences in allocation patterns appeared to reflect general slowing among the older adults. Because older adults showed equivalent memory performance to that of younger readers, the reading time data may represent the on-line resource allocation needed for comparable outcomes among older and younger readers.     

Effects of training students to identify the semantic base of prose materials

Feedback and feedback plus points toward a course grade were applied to the attentional behaviors (defined as the ability to identify the semantic base of text passages) of 30 undergraduate students participating in a reading comprehension development program. Correct underlining was increased, extraneous underlining was decreased, and postreading comprehension test scores improved as a result of the procedures. Scores on a standardized test of reading comprehension also increased significantly.     

PASSAGE INDEPENDENCY AND QUESTION CHARACTERISTICS: AN ANALYSIS OF THREE INFORMAL READING INVENTORIES

ABSTRACT

Three informal reading inventories were examined to identify passage independent test questions, questions which could be answered correctly without reading the corresponding passages. Fourth grade students of good and poor reading ability were administered the test questions orally without access to the passages. The percentage of questions answered correctly was calculated for each test. An analysis of variance procedure revealed that the Classroom Reading Inventory was the most passage independent followed by the Analytical Reading Inventory and Ginn 720 inventory respectively. However the two reader groups did not differ significantly in their performance across the three tests. An analysis of children's responses to the questions revealed that three question categories in particular tended to be passage independent in nature. These categories were: a) general information b) vocabulary meaning and c) affective. The investigation also examined the literal and inferential characteristics of the test questions. Suggestions were made for evaluating the validity of reading comprehension questions     

Perceptions of Overt and Personality-based Integrity Tests

Differences in test-taker perceptions between overt and personality-based integrity tests were examined. Following administration of both types of integrity tests, 255 undergraduate students provided ratings of perceived face validity and perceived predictive validity. Following receipt of actual test scores, 126 test takers participated in a second phase of the study in which they reported perceptions of distributive justice. Test takers perceived overt integrity tests as having greater face validity and predictive validity than personality-based integrity tests. Perceptions of job-relatedness were not strongly related to test performance on either test type. Distributive justice perceptions were related to test performance, but not type of integrity test.     

理解评估与成绩预测：两种不同的元理解监测形式

探讨理解评估与成绩预测与各种强化元理解监测线索的认知任务的关系。结果发现,理解评估与成绩预测的判断值偏离标准测验成绩的程度受监测线索强化方式的调节;主动强化监测线索比被动强化更能提高理解评估和成绩预测的精确性;精确的理解评估或成绩预测所需的线索不同,利用同一线索评估理解或预测成绩,其精确性也不同。这一结果挑战了元理解监测的一维观,表明理解评估与成绩预测涵盖了元理解监测不同方面的心理特征     

Mental Juggling: When Does Multitasking Impair Reading Comprehension?

The present study investigated the conditions under which multitasking impairs reading comprehension. Participants read prose passages (the primary task), some of which required them to perform a secondary task. In Experiment 1, we compared two different types of secondary tasks (answering trivia questions and solving math problems). Reading comprehension was assessed using a multiple-choice test that measured both factual and conceptual knowledge. The results showed no observable detrimental effects associated with multitasking. In Experiment 2, the secondary task was a cognitive load task that required participants to remember a string of numbers while reading the passages. Performance on the reading comprehension test was lower in the cognitive load conditions relative to the no-load condition. The present study delineates the conditions under which multitasking can impair or have no effect on reading comprehension. These results further our understanding of our capacity to multitask and have practical implications in our technologically advanced society in which multitasking has become commonplace.     

Evaluating reading and metacognitive deficits in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The reading achievement of children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has scarcely been explored in research conducted in the Spanish language and when it has, the results have been contradictory. The focus of the present research is to analyze participants' reading competency and metacognitive strategies as they carry out reading comprehension tasks. The sample was comprised of 187 Argentine schoolchildren aged 9 to 13 years old. 94 constituted the control group and the clinical group consisted of 93 schoolchildren diagnosed with ADHD. The metacognitive assessment was made up of two metacognitive tests, the Reading Awareness Scale (ESCOLA; acronym in Spanish) and a Spanish adaptation of Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI), and one test of reading comprehension, the Evaluation of Reading Processes for Secondary Education Students (PROLEC-SE; acronym in Spanish). Students with ADHD had lower achievement on tests o reading comprehension compared to the control group. Nevertheless, our results suggest their difficulties did not stem from readin comprehension problems, but rather from alterations in their Executive Functions, because when subjects' reading comprehensio was equalized, students with ADHD still exhibited a lower level of Metacognition, particularly when it came to planning.     

Exploring Differential Subgroup Functioning on SAT Writing Items: What Happens When English Is Not a Test Taker's Best Language?

The purpose of this study is to explore patterns in model-data fit related to subgroups of test takers from a large-scale writing assessment. Using data from the SAT, a calibration group was randomly selected to represent test takers who reported that English was their best language from the total population of test takers (N = 322,011). A reference scale for the items was constructed based on EBL responses. Response behaviors of test takers who reported that English was not their best language (ENBL) were examined in relationship to this reference scale. This study illustrates the use of differential subgroup analyses to identify patterns related to person misfit within subgroups, as well as subsets of items, that may affect the validity of writing scores for ENBL test takers. The methodology described here offers an approach that can be used to explore, understand, and improve the validity of scores obtained from ENBL test takers in large-scale writing assessments.     

Improving Iranian Graduate Students’ Performance in Reading Scientific Articles in English Through Explicit Strategy Instruction

The purpose of this mixed-method investigation was to examine the effect of explicit instruction of cognitive strategies on the reading performance of Iranian graduate students and identify the cognitive strategies the participants used while reading a scientific article in English (L2). Prior to the study, the students completed a questionnaire and took part in a semi-structured interview providing information on the reading strategies they used while reading English texts. In order to also identify the participants’ improvement in reading English texts, they completed the reading section of the IELTS test prior to and following the treatment. During a 16-week course, students became familiar with cognitive strategies through explicit instruction. At the end of the course, the students were required to read a scientific article in English and think-aloud in order to identify the reading strategies they employed while reading. The quantitative results (paired-sample T-test) revealed that the participants’ reading comprehension significantly improved after explicit instruction of cognitive strategies. The qualitative data (think-aloud protocols) indicated that the participants used more cognitive strategies while reading scientific articles in English after receiving explicit instruction. Pedagogical implications are provided for further research.