Supporting Summary Quality: Rereading Versus Selecting Main Ideas

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Section 1a, Poster Session 2. Literacy: Reading and Writing Across Contexts (San Diego)

Abstract

Writing summaries of texts can promote comprehension, but writing good summaries is challenging. This study compared the relative impact of two strategies--selecting main ideas versus rereading--on the quality of adult readers’ summaries of expository texts. Readers who reread the texts wrote better summaries than readers who selected main ideas, regardless of reading skill. However, readers who were more accurate in selecting main ideas wrote better summaries than those who were less accurate. Overall, the results indicate that rereading may be a more effective and more feasible strategy for promoting summarization than selecting main ideas.

Authors

• Reese Butterfuss, Arizona State University

• Ying Fang

• Ellen Orcutt, University of Minnesota

• Tracy Arner, Arizona State University

• Panayiota Kendeou, University of Minnesota

• Danielle S. McNamara, Arizona State University