Reading Research Quarterly · 1984 · 297 citations · 20 references
EducationEducational AssessmentInstructionReading ComprehensionReading DevelopmentReading EducationReadingReading Comprehension DifficultiesReading InstructionReading StrategiesStrategic ThinkingText SummarizationAwarenessComprehension Strategy InstructionReadability Of SummariesStrategic Reading InstructionStruggling ReadersSummarizationSummarization EvaluationSummarization Instruction
The study investigates whether eighth‑grade students’ summarization difficulties stem from deficits in strategic skills. The authors systematically assessed students’ task awareness, importance identification, and text‑to‑gist transformation skills. Results show that while most students recognize summarization demands, differences in importance sensitivity, inclusion, and transformation predict summary quality and comprehension, suggesting teachers should evaluate and train strategic skills.
THIS STUDY examined the possibility that some eighth-grade students' difficulties with the task of summarization may be linked to deficits in strategic skills. A systematic examination was made of the students' introspective awareness of the summarization task, ability to identify important elements in the text, and ability to transform the text into its gist. Results indicated that most of the eighth-grade students were aware of the task demands of summarization. However, good and poor readers did differ in what they considered important, in what they includpd in their summaries, and in how they transformed the original text. Sensitivity to importance and efficient use of the transformations were significantly related to the ability to produce summaries. Sensitivity to importance was also significantly related to the ability to comprehend what had been read. This study suggests that when comprehension difficulties are encountered, teachers should assess the students' use of strategic skills and provide appropriate training if necessary.
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Toward a model of text comprehension and production.
Walter Kintsch, Teun A. van Dijk · Psychological Review · 1978 · 5K citations