Expository Text Comprehension: Helping Primary-Grade Teachers Use Expository Texts to Full Advantage

This study investigated the effectiveness of an instructional program designed to teach expository text comprehension during guided reading. Participants included 72 second graders in six classrooms, organized into four guided reading groups in each class (n = 24). The six classes were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Text Structure, Content, and No Instruction. The Text Structure group focused on text structure awareness. The Content group focused on background knowledge and vocabulary. The No Instruction group carried out their regular instruction. Findings suggest that text structure is an effective strategy for promoting expository text comprehension and that young children benefit from well-structured texts.     

说明文阅读中的视角效应

说明文的阅读视角不仅影响阅读中信息的获得,而且会影响实时阅读加工过程。目前对视角效应最新的眼动研究,围绕阅读中编码相关信息到工作记忆中是否需要额外的时间这一争论,揭示了过去知识和工作记忆容量对阅读视角效应的影响,对视角效应产生的内在机制也有了更深层的认识。     

说明文阅读中因果序列的表征

结合自定步调阅读与句子启动再认范式, 探讨说明文阅读过程中因果序列的表征问题。研究包括3个实验, 实验1的文本提供一个包括4个概念的因果链(如, A－B－C－D), 文本最后设置包含概念A或概念B或概念C的句子, 对概念D进行探测, 结果发现, 对于概念D的再认启动作用, 概念C＞概念B＞概念A; 实验2改变因果链的说明顺序, 使之与因果链本身次序不一致, 结果与实验1一致; 实验3的文本分别介绍两条独立的因果链(如A－B－C; D－E－F), 最后呈现包含概念A或概念D的句子, 对概念C进行探测, 结果发现, 包含概念A的句子理解启动了相关因果链, 使读者对随后呈现的概念C的再认反应加快。基于本研究结果, 结合相关研究, 本文尝试提出说明文文本表征的建构模式。     

Influence of Question Format and Text Availability on the Assessment of Expository Text Comprehension

This study examines how passage availability and reading comprehension question format (open-ended vs. multiple-choice) influence question answering. In two experiments, college undergraduates read an expository passage and answered open-ended and multiple-choice versions of text-based, local, and global bridging inference questions. Half the participants were allowed to refer to the passage when answering the questions and half were not. Participants' prior domain knowledge relating to the text contents was assessed using multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Correlation-based analyses in the two experiments indicated: (a) a decline in the relationship between prior domain knowledge and comprehension when the passage was available during question answering; and (b) a high correlation between multiple-choice and open-ended question answering performance when the passage was not available for reference. Overall the results indicate that the nature of the reading comprehension assessment is influenced by the specific task with which comprehension is assessed.     

说明文阅读中局部连贯因果推理的产生

探讨熟悉主题的说明文阅读过程中维持局部连贯的因果推理的产生问题。3个实验分别采用了不同的实验材料, 实验1的文本提供明确的前提信息, 实验2的材料提供隐含的前提信息, 实验3的材料在前提信息与结论信息之间插入了其他信息。总的结果表明, 熟悉主题的说明文阅读过程中, 当文本提供的前提信息与结论信息一起呈现时, 无论提供明确的还是隐含的前提信息, 实现文本局部因果连贯的推理能够即时产生; 当前提信息相隔2个句子后, 虽然读者还是可以产生因果推理检测到与推理内容矛盾的信息, 但是这种检测敏感度大有降低。基于本研究结果, 结合相关研究, 本文尝试提出关于文本阅读中推理产生的“认知代价”观, 试图整合文本推理理论。     

熟悉主题说明文阅读推理加工的认知神经机制

采用功能磁共振成像(Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, fMRI)技术对熟悉主题说明文阅读过程因果推理加工进行研究, 探讨说明文阅读过程中读者是否能够自发进行因果推理加工, 以及阅读焦点的存在是否会对说明文阅读过程中的因果推理加工产生影响。结果表明, 读者在熟悉主题说明文阅读过程中能够自动进行推理加工, 负责推理加工的主要脑区为额叶(尤其是额下回)、顶叶下部及双侧楔前叶等区域。在熟悉主题说明文阅读过程中, 阅读焦点的存在一定程度上使读者的认知加工资源集中在对与焦点相关的推理关系的加工上。     

The Relationship between Oral Narrative Production and Expository Text Comprehension of Fifth-Grade Students

The purpose of the present study is to determine if there is a relationship between oral narrative production and the reading comprehension of expository text. The researcher measured both overall and component scores for expository text comprehension and oral narrative production ability of 40 typically-developing fifth grade students. Findings included a moderate correlation between overall expository comprehension and oral narrative production. A significant linear regression indicated that oral narrative production and background knowledge accounted for 18.9% of the variance in expository comprehension. Lastly, significant differences were found in the means of overall oral narrative production, narrative elements, and oral narrative in the single-scene picture condition between the low and high comprehension groups. An implication of this research is that classroom teachers could explore using an oral narrative-based intervention to improve the expository text comprehension of their fifth-grade students.     

多媒体互动插图对科学说明文学习的影响

48名 1 3岁中学生被分为高低两种学习能力 ,每种被试又被分成两组分别学习配有两种插图 (多媒体静态插图和多媒体互动插图 )的一篇生物说明文 ,结果表明 :( 1 )在重在考查插图加工水平的图片测验上 ,学习能力和插图类型主效应均显著 ,但两者之间不存在显著交互作用 ;( 2 )在重在考查文图整合加工水平的文字测验上 ,学习能力和插图类型之间存在显著的交互作用 ,即只有当学习能力高时 ,两种插图之间存在显著差异。 ( 3 )在被试的填图过程中 ,被试的尝试次数与其插图加工时间及学习效果之间存在显著的相关。这说明 ,多媒体互动插图可促进所有被试对插图的加工 ,但只能促进学习能力高者对图文的整合加工 ,而且多媒体互动插图对学习的促进效果与被试加工插图时的实际加工深度有关     

阅读材料类型和难度对五年级儿童阅读策略的影响

以34名五年级儿童为被试,采用出声思维法考查了阅读材料类型和难度对儿童阅读策略使用情况的影响。结果发现,被试在记叙文阅读过程中使用的阅读策略种类数和总次数均多于说明文。阅读材料难度对于阅读策略种类数和使用次数没有影响。阅读材料类型和难度都对多个阅读策略的使用次数有影响,但是阅读材料类型和难度对于各阅读策略使用次数的影响并不一致。     

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.     

First and Fourth Grade Boys' and Girls' Preferences For and Perceptions About Narrative and Expository Text

This investigation focused on elementary-aged (first and fourth grade) children's individual preferences for narrative and expository text and perceptions of what their same-aged peers would like to read. Preferences and perceptions of text were examined through the lenses of social constructivist and engaged reading theories. The overall purpose of this study was to examine elementary students' preferences for and perceptions about narrative and expository text. This study was a systematic replication and extension of Chapman, Filipenko, McTavish, and Shapiro's (2007) research in British Columbia with first graders. Two individually administered book preference (Open and Closed) tasks and interviews were administered to 84 students. Findings revealed gender and grade level profiles in terms of preferences, perceptions, and rationales for their book choices. As expected, both first and fourth grade boys demonstrated a strong preference for expository text, however, the fourth grade boys also showed a growing preference for narrative text as well. In contrast, both first and fourth grade girls demonstrated a strong preference for both narrative and expository text. For both boys and girls, book topic and pictures/illustrations were the two top categories that drew the children's interest and resulted in the most conversations. Results are discussed in light of implications for instruction, assessment, and future research.     

Processing Expository Discourse: What Factors Predict Comprehension?

This research investigates the relationship among processing behaviors and their link to comprehending expository discourse. Students who orally read a chapter on geographical formations followed by a retelling. Using Pearson's chi-square and logistic regression, it was found that clauses were recalled whether the clause had been read with no miscues or with corrected miscues. Clauses containing uncorrected miscues, were significantly less likely to be retold. The sole potential predictor of main ideas was the number of clauses retold. These findings suggest that the concept of accuracy may not be as significant as suggested in the fluency research.     

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.     

说明文阅读中因果推理的意识性

采用独立记得-知道范式(IRK)和加工分离范式(PDP)探讨说明文阅读中因果推理的意识性。根据关系部分的描述与目标句是否存在逻辑冲突,创设推理成功和推理失败两种实验条件。实验1和2分别使用独立记得-知道范式和加工分离范式进行研究。两个实验的结果都发现推理成功和推理失败在有意识和无意识加工指标上都差异显著,表明说明文阅读中因果推理既影响有意识加工也影响无意识加工,该结果支持和完善了文本阅读双加工理论。     

Expository Texts in First-Grade Classroom Libraries: Issues in Teacher Selection

Abstract

In 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted by most states in the US. The authors of these standards called for a shift from previous standards by recommending that young children experience a 50-50 balance between informational and literary reading. For this mixed-methods study, researchers examined the contents of 23 first-grade classroom libraries 8?years after the implementation of the CCSS to determine the percentage of expository texts found in these libraries and if these percentages differed based on the SES of the school or the number of years a teacher had been teaching. In addition, researchers interviewed twelve selected classroom teachers to gain an understanding of how they selected books for their libraries and what influenced their decisions. Results indicated that 22.8% of the texts found in first-grade classroom libraries were expository and there was no difference based on SES of the school or years a teacher had been in the classroom. Teacher interviews indicated that book cost, reading level, student interest, and genre (both narrative and expository/nonfiction) influenced their library text selections. Only two teachers indicated that the CCSS impacted their book choices.     

Comprehending Expository Texts: The Role of Cognitive and Motivational Factors

This study explored the differential contribution of cognitive and motivational factors on the comprehension of an expository text in secondary school students. One hundred and fifty-five 7^th and 8^th grade students were assessed in prior knowledge, inferences, metacognition, reading motivation, topic interest, and reading comprehension of history text. According to the multiple regression analyses, inferences and self-efficacy uniquely contributed to reading comprehension. Intrinsic motivation moderated the association between metacognition and reading comprehension of a history text. These results confirm that the final outcome of reading comprehension greatly depends on a complex interplay between cognitive and motivational variables.