Patterns of Strategy Use When Understanding Scientific Texts (Poster 5)

• In Event: Leveraging Constructed Responses to Understand Text Comprehension

Abstract

1. Objectives. Prompting students to generate CRs as they read provides a window into the processes and strategies that they use to make sense of complex text. Students’ strategy patterns can be used to inform profiles of strategy use. These profiles can then be related to individual differences such as vocabulary and prior knowledge.

2. Perspectives. More skilled readers are more likely to engage in more complex comprehension strategies, such as bridging and elaboration, that help them comprehend the text, while less skilled readers are more likely to rely on paraphrasing (Coté et al., 1998). Successful comprehenders are likely to strategically match their strategy use to their purpose for reading, their assets (e.g., prior knowledge), and characteristics of the text (e.g., Cromley & Wills, 2016). Their strategy use is likely to be more structured, with consistent patterns in the types of switches that occur between strategies.

3. Method. In this study, students’ transitions between strategies were used to create clusters of strategy use, which were then tested for their relation to individual difference measures. Each CR was scored by expert raters for the presence of three common comprehension strategies (i.e., paraphrasing, bridging, elaborating), such that each CR could then be categorized as one of eight combination types. Lag sequential analysis was used to examine which strategy transitions were non-random. The three most significant transitions (paraphrase to paraphrase, para-bridge to paraphrase, para-bridge to para-bridge) were used to create three clusters of strategy use.

4. Data Sources. College students (n = 153) produced CRs at 16 points while reading a scientific text about cell division. They then answered comprehension questions regarding the text. They also completed the Gates-MacGinitie Vocabulary Test, a general prior knowledge test, and a biology prior knowledge test.

5. Results. Cluster 1 showed use of all three transitions, but particularly paraphrase to paraphrase. Individuals in Cluster 2 almost exclusively used para-bridge to para-bridge. Cluster membership was significantly related to Gates-MacGinitie Vocabulary (t = -4.510), comprehension of the science text (t = -4.540), general prior knowledge (t = -5.298), and biology prior knowledge (t = -4.045) (all ps < .001). Markov chains examining use of all strategy combinations and transitions revealed that Cluster 2 individuals primarily used para-bridging, with transitions primarily occurring to and from para-bridging. Cluster 1 individuals frequently switched between the different strategy combinations. The results suggest that analyzing patterns and combinations of strategy use can inform the development of learner profiles that relate to reading comprehension and prior knowledge.

6. Significance. The results suggest that analyzing patterns and combinations of strategy use can inform the development of learner profiles that relate to reading comprehension and prior knowledge. These profiles can be used by educators and incorporated into intelligent tutoring systems to guide students toward using more effective strategy patterns while reading.

Authors

• Katerina Christhilf, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Natalie Newton, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Danielle S. McNamara, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author