READING MADE EASIER: The explicit instruction of reading comprehension strategies ... 0

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... 6

INTRODUCTION ... 10

PART ONE: READING PROCESSES AND STRATEGIES ... 24

1.2. Models of the reading process ... 28

Chapter 2: Reading strategies ... 35

2.2. Taxonomies of reading strategies ... 39

2.3. On the differences between good and poor readers ... 44

2.4. Individual differences in reading comprehension ... 45

Chapter 3: Reading in first, second, and third language ... 48

3.2. Reading in L1 and L2 ... 49

3.3. Reading in L3 ... 54

PART TWO: METHODOLOGY ... 58

Chapter 2: Elicitation and transcription of think-aloud data ... 59

2.1. Elicitation of think-aloud data ... 60

2.2. Transcription of think-aloud data ... 62

Chapter 3: Analysis of think-aloud data ... 64

3.1.1. An example of a think-aloud protocol ... 66

3.1.1.1. The text ... 67

3.2. Quantitative analysis ... 69

PART THREE: READING STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT ... 72

Chapter 1: The strategies used by school and college students ... 76

(2) Scanning ... 82

(3) Evaluating ... 89

(4) Planning ... 96

(5) Rereading ... 103

1.2. CATEGORY A STRATEGIES ALL STUDENTS ... 111

(7) Adapting the reading rate to text difficulty ... 115

(8) Identifying the function of a typographic symbol ... 117

(9) Identifying the function of an extra-textual component ... 120

(10) Looking ahead ... 123

(11) Looking up an unfamiliar word in the dictionary ... 124

(12) Marking ... 131

(13) Noting ... 134

(14) Previewing ... 136

A note on skimming ... 141

(15) Repeating ... 142

1.3. CATEGORY B STRATEGIES ALL STUDENTS ... 145

(17) Explaining ... 151

(18) Guessing the meaning of an unfamiliar word from its context ... 159

(19) Illustrating ... 164

(20) Inferring ... 168

(21) Predicting ... 172

1.4. CATEGORY C STRATEGIES ALL STUDENTS ... 175

(23) Organizing ... 181

(24) Selecting ... 183

(25) Generalizing ... 188

(26) Identifying the rhetorical function of the text ... 191

(27) Identifying the genre of the text ... 195

1.5. CATEGORY D STRATEGIES ALL STUDENTS ... 197

(29) Task representing ... 208

1.6. CATEGORY A STRATEGIES UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES ... 212

1.7. CATEGORY C STRATEGIES UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES ... 216

(33) Identifying the function of a textual component ... 218

(34) Identifying the main idea of the text ... 221

(35) Identifying the rhetorical structure of the text ... 224

(36) Identifying the speaker of the text ... 226

(37) Identifying the topic of the text ... 227

(38) Identifying the writer of the text ... 229

(39) Identifying the writer's purpose ... 232

(40) Reviewing ... 234

1.8. CATEGORY D STRATEGIES UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES ... 237

1.9. CATEGORY C STRATEGIES GRADUATES ... 240

(43) Mapping the text ... 241

(44) Note taking ... 244

(45) Synthesizing ... 247

Chapter 2: Individual differences in strategy use ... 249

1.2.1. Danny's TA protocol ... 250

1.2.2. Maya's TA protocol ... 251

1.2.3. Hagar's TA protocol ... 253

1.2.4. Gil's TA protocol ... 254

1.3. Findings and implications ... 255

PART FOUR: READING INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT ... 262

Chapter 1: Explicit strategy instruction ... 267

1.2. Lessons illustrating explicit strategy instruction ... 275

1.2.1. Lesson 1: The title of the text ... 276

1.2.2. Lesson 2: The think-aloud technique ... 279

1.2.2.1. The text ... 280

1.2.2.3. The Teacher's TA protocol analysis ... 282

1.2.3. Lesson 3: Explicit instruction of the strategy of elaborating ... 283

Chapter 2: Related issues ... 287

2.1.2. Summarizing ... 292

2.2. Intertextuality ... 296

Conclusion ... 299

REFERENCES ... 301

Appendices ... 348

Appendix B: A classification of the reading strategies into categories ... 350

Appendix C: The texts read by school, undergraduate and graduate students ... 351

Appendix D: Sources for further reading and materials ... 353