Individual Differences In Deep Level Comprehension: Contributions of Text Structure, Comprehension Skill, and Prior knowledge

Open Access
- Author:
- Ray, Melissa N
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- August 29, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Robert James Stevens, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Robert James Stevens, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Bonnie J Meyer, Committee Member
James F Nolan Jr., Committee Member
Rayne Audrey Sperling, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Text Structure
Inferences
Comprehension
Comprehension Skill - Abstract:
- This study investigated the influence of expository text structure on college readers’ inferencing after reading. I examined whether type of expository text structure influenced bridging inferences made after reading by comparing readers’ comprehension of two text structures: problem-solution and listing-description. The goal of this study was to examine whether the problem-solution structure, which may be more facilitative of readers’ memory for text, also facilitated readers’ inferencing from expository text. Additionally, this study explored whether two sources of individual differences in inferencing, overall comprehension skill and prior content knowledge, moderated the effect of text structure on readers’ inferences. Using a between-participants, experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to read one of two structural versions of an educational psychology text (problem-solution or listing-description). Participants (n =168) were undergraduate students, enrolled in an educational psychology course. Prior to reading experimental texts, all participants completed a topic knowledge test and a reading comprehension test. After reading, participants completed a written free recall and answered short answer, bridging inference questions. Due to the low reliability of the topic knowledge test, it was not included in statistical analysis. Text structure did not significantly predict readers’ performance on inference questions. However, readers with high levels of awareness of text structure had better performance on inference questions, particularly for those students who read the listing-description text. Comprehension skill was associated with performance on inference questions; however, the interaction between text structure and comprehension skill was not significant. The findings from the study suggest that text structure may have a minimal influence on bridging inferences made after reading. However, readers’ ability to use the structure of the text may be beneficial for bridging inferences.