A Review of Research in Revising Instructional Text

Sawyer, Mary H.

doi:10.1080/10862969109547744

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…This is largely because readability formulas do not take into account other structural variables that are important determinants of comprehension, such as text structure; text cohesion; readers' prior knowledge; readers' goals; and text aids such as typographical cues, tables, and graphs (Holland, as cited in Sawyer, 1991). This is largely because readability formulas do not take into account other structural variables that are important determinants of comprehension, such as text structure; text cohesion; readers' prior knowledge; readers' goals; and text aids such as typographical cues, tables, and graphs (Holland, as cited in Sawyer, 1991).…”

Section: The History Of Research On Text Revisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Causal Text Revisions on More- and Less-Skilled Readers' Comprehension of Easy and Difficult Texts

Linderholm¹,

Everson²,

Broek

et al. 2000

Cognition and Instruction

125

114

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The importance of causal structure has been well documented in text comprehension research. This study investigates how both easy and difficult texts can be improved by repairing the causal structure and how causal structure repairs can differentially affect comprehension for more-and less-skilled readers. Following causal network theories of comprehension, principled and replicable types of repairs were made. Causal repairs consisted of (a) arranging text events in temporal order; (b) making implicit goals explicit; and (c) repairing coherence breaks caused by inadequate explanation, multiple causality, or distant causal relations. More-and less-skilled readers read revised and original versions of easy and difficult history texts. Results indicate that both more-and less-skilled readers benefited from the revisions but only for the difficult text. Causal network theories of comprehension provide an appropriate and systematic method for revising texts.Text comprehension cannot be understood completely without careful consideration of the way in which text structure and readers' cognitive processes interact. The formation of mental representations of texts is one such cognitive process that may depend on how the text is structured. Ideally, readers should form mental representations of texts because this level of understanding is conducive to long-term

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Section: The History Of Research On Text Revisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Causal Text Revisions on More- and Less-Skilled Readers' Comprehension of Easy and Difficult Texts

Linderholm¹,

Everson²,

Broek

et al. 2000

Cognition and Instruction

125

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…(p. 41) Questions that ask students to explain or make explicit the subtle relationships between and among concepts, as well as to make connections between classroom events and daily life, should enhance learning (Raphael & Gavelek, 1984;Sawyer, 1991;Shepardson & Pizzini, 1991). An explanation is given when connections are drawn between and among pieces of information.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of talk and writing on learning science: An exploratory study

Rivard,

Straw

2000

Sci. Ed.

271

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This study investigated the role of talk and writing on learning science. The purpose was to explore the effect of talk, writing, and talk and writing on the learning and retention of simple and integrated knowledge, and to describe the mechanisms by which talk and writing mediate these processes. Forty‐three students were randomly assigned to four groups, all stratified for gender and ability. At intervals during an instructional unit, three treatment groups received problem tasks that involved constructing scientific explanations for real‐world applications of ecological concepts. A control group received simpler descriptive tasks based on similar content. Students in the talk‐only treatment group (T) discussed the problem tasks in small peer groups. Students in the writing‐only treatment group (W) individually wrote responses for each of the tasks, but without first talking to other students. Students in the combined talk and writing treatment group (TW) discussed the problems in groups prior to individually writing their explanations. Dependent variables included simple, integrated, and total knowledge scores based on multiple‐choice tests, essay questions, and concept maps obtained at three timepoints during the study: a pretest; an immediate posttest; and a delayed posttest. Records of student talk and writing were also analyzed to describe the mechanisms involved. The findings suggest that talk is important for sharing, clarifying, and distributing knowledge among peers, while asking questions, hypothesizing, explaining, and formulating ideas together are all important mechanisms during peer discussions. Analytical writing is an important tool for transforming rudimentary ideas into knowledge that is more coherent and structured. Furthermore, talk combined with writing appears to enhance the retention of science learning over time. Moreover, gender and ability may be important mediating variables that determine the effectiveness of talk and writing for enhancing learning. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 84:566–593, 2000.

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“…For example, Sawyer (1991) argued that the early readability formulas were "misleading and overly simplistic" (p. 309).…”

Section: Limitation #1: Construct Coveragementioning

confidence: 99%

Generating Automated Text Complexity Classifications That Are Aligned With Targeted Text Complexity Standards

Sheehan

Kostin

Futagi

et al. 2010

ETS Research Report Series

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The Common Core Standards call for students to be exposed to a much greater level of text complexity than has been the norm in schools for the past forty years. Textbook publishers, teachers, and assessment developers are being asked to refocus materials and methods to ensure that students are challenged to read texts at steadily increasing complexity levels as they progress through school so that all students remain on track to achieve college and career readiness by the end of 12th grade. Although automated text analysis tools have been proposed as one method for helping educators achieve this goal, research suggests that existing tools are subject to three limitations: inadequate construct coverage; overly narrow criterion variables; and inappropriate treatment of genre effects. Modeling approaches developed to address these limitations are described. Recommended approaches are incorporated into a new text analysis system called SourceRater. Validity analyses implemented on an independent sample of texts suggest that, compared to existing approaches, SourceRater's estimates of text complexity are more reflective of the complexity classifications given in the new Standards. Implications for the development of learning progressions designed to help educators organize curriculum, instruction and assessment in reading are discussed.

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A Review of Research in Revising Instructional Text

Cited by 23 publications

References 75 publications

Effects of Causal Text Revisions on More- and Less-Skilled Readers' Comprehension of Easy and Difficult Texts

Effects of Causal Text Revisions on More- and Less-Skilled Readers' Comprehension of Easy and Difficult Texts

The effect of talk and writing on learning science: An exploratory study

Generating Automated Text Complexity Classifications That Are Aligned With Targeted Text Complexity Standards

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