EFFECTS OF USING TEXT STRUCTURE AND SELF-GENERATED QUESTIONS ON COMPREHENSION OF INFORMATION FROM THREE LEVELS OF TEXT STRUCTURE AS MEASURED BY FREE RECALL (SCHEMA, METACOGNITION, STUDY SKILLS)

Lack of adequate comprehension skills is a major problem for students at the college level. Often poor comprehension results when students are not actively involved in the material they are reading. Thus, two methods for involving students in the reading of text were investigated: self-questioning and using text structure.; Research Questions. Answers were sought to the following questions. (1) Do students view self-questioning and using text structure as useful study strategies? (2) What is the relationship between student evaluations of self-questioning and text structure strategies and the independent use of these strategies? (3) Do students using self-questioning or text structure strategies (which have been taught) to study text evidence greater comprehension and recall than those who do not? (4) Do students who use different strategies remember information from different levels of text structure? (5) Do directions to respond rather than simply recall affect the recall of factual information from the text?; Methodology. A 48-hour delayed recall (directions to simply recall or to respond) was used to assess comprehension of a 2000-word passage read by 135 college students enrolled in a reading improvement course. Directions for study of the passage were based on the two strategies taught during the teaching phase of the study. Strategy evaluation was an integral component of the study.; Major Conclusions. Both the self-questioning strategy and the text structure strategy were evaluated positively by the students at the end of the teaching units. However, little transfer to an independent learning situation was evidenced. Those groups directed to use the strategy taught as they studied the post-test selection did not recall a greater number of idea units than did the subjects in the control group. Although the control group recalled the greatest number of idea units, those who used the text structure strategy to study the post-test selection recalled a significantly greater number of idea units from the superordinate level of text structure. Directing students to respond to the selection, thus activating schema, did not result in increased recall of idea units.