An Examination of three Prose Learning Strategies on Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Summary The present study was designed to meet recent criticisms of prose learning research methodology. The experiment dealt, respectively, with objectives, questions in text, and advance organizers. Reading comprehension was assessed as a covariate in examining criterion test performance (N = 63 male and female university undergraduates). The findings provide evidence for the strong impact of reading comprehension on criterion test performance. In the objectives phase, the findings provide support (consistent with prior research) for the efficacy of objectives in improving intentional learning, although apparently at the expense of incidental learning. The nonsignificant findings for the questions experiment are consistent with prior research. The results from the advanced organizer experiment are also consistent (nonsignificant results) with the one previous study that employed true control groups and time controls.