Reducing the Complexities of Reading Comprehension: A Simplifying Framework

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Reducing the Complexities of Reading
Comprehension A Simplifying Framework

• Charles Perfetti

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Overview

• Critical Preliminaries
• The comprehension problem
• What is comprehension?
• Building mental models word by word
• Comprehensive Comprehension
• Processes, knowledge, and strategies
• A medium-grain cognitive framework
• Simplifying Frameworks
• Pressure points
• A simplified framework
• Implications

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The comprehension problem

• National Assessment of Educational Progress
  (NAEP)
• 1 of 3 fourth-graders and 1 of 4 eighth-graders
  cannot read at the basic level. That is, when
  reading grade appropriate material, these
  students do not understand what they read ---IES
  Reading for Understanding

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Even adults can have trouble understanding
written texts

• "By God, for a minute there it suddenly all made
  sense."

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What do we mean by comprehension?

• Comprehension is defined as intentional thinking
  during which meaning is constructed through
  interactions between text and reader (Harris
  Hodges, 1995). Thus, readers derive meaning from
  text when they engage in intentional, problem
  solving thinking processes.
• ---National Reading Panel 2000

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A simpler idea learning to read with
comprehension is learning to understand writing
as well as one understands spoken language

• We can expect the comprehension of written
  language to approximate the comprehension of
  spoken language. When that happens, then reading
  comprehension has developed, for practical
  purposes, to its limiting or asymptotic level.
  All other limitations are imposed by linguistic
  abilities, relevant knowledge, and general
  intelligence. If we make things more complex than
  this, we push onto the concept of reading
  comprehension all these other important aspects
  of cognition, with the muddle that results from
  conceptual conflation.
• ----Perfetti, C. A., Landi, N., Oakhill, J.
  (2005). The acquisition of reading comprehension
  skill. In M. J. Snowling C. Hulme (Eds.), The
  science of reading A handbook (pp. 227-247).
  Oxford Blackwell.

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Too simple?

• We accept, approximately and in an idealized
  form, the assumption that reading comprehension
  is the joint product of printed word
  identification and listening comprehension, an
  idea famously asserted by Gough and Tunmer (1986)
  as a simple view of reading. However, we also
  must assume that learning to read with
  comprehension brings additional complexities
• ----Perfetti, C. A., Landi, N., Oakhill, J.
  (2005). The acquisition of reading comprehension
  skill. In M. J. Snowling C. Hulme (Eds.), The
  science of reading A handbook (pp. 227-247).
  Oxford Blackwell.

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The text and the mind

• researchers working in the area of reading
  comprehension have shown repeatedly that meaning
  does not exist in text.
• --Alvermann Eakle, p. 14 (in Sweet Snow,
  Rethinking reading comprehension 2003)

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Well, yes but

• The application of the symbolic principle (a
  language form is a symbol for meaning) is
  constrained by the language that implements it.
• The dog bit the man
• The man bit the dog
• Likud members will not react favorably to the
  Presidents speech.
• Likud members will react favorably to the
  Presidents speech

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A definition that includes the text

• Reading comprehension the process of
  simultaneously extracting and constructing
  meaning through inter- action and involvement
  with written language. It consists of three
  elements the reader, the text, and the activity
  or purpose for reading.
• ---p.viii, Report of Rand Reading Study Group,
  2002.

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Building a mental model from a text

• Comprehension occurs as the reader builds a
  mental representation of a text message.
• ----Perfetti, C. A., Landi, N., Oakhill, J.
  (2005).

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Text messages are understood (and mental models
are built) word by word
Mental model
Each word is fit into mental models (multiple
structures) to the extent possible
Word 1
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Text messages are understood (and mental models
are built) word by word
Mental model
Each word is fit into mental models (multiple
structures) to the extent possible
Word 2
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Text messages are understood (and mental models
are built) word by word
Mental model
Each word is fit into mental models (multiple
structures) to the extent possible
Word 3
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Text messages are understood (and mental models
are built) word by word
Mental model
Each word is fit into mental models (multiple
structures) to the extent possible
Word 4
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2. Comprehensive Comprehension More than we need
for some purposes?

• The complex processes of comprehension Three
  non-independent aspects
• Processes
• Knowledge
• Strategies

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What are reading comprehension strategies?

• Reading Comprehension Strategies Theories,
  Interventions, and technologies (Danielle
  McNamara, Ed.) Erlbaum/ Taylor Francis, 2007)
• Many interesting chapters on comprehension
  strategies
• Definition of reading comprehension strategy A
  cognitive or behavioral action that is enacted
  under particular contextual conditions with the
  goal of improving some aspect of comprehension.
  Art Graesser, page 6.

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Comprehension ProcessesStrategies

1. Making connections
2. Questioning
3. Visualizing
4. Inferring
5. Determining importance
6. Synthesizing

1. Monitoring
2. Metacognition
3. Answering questions
4. Recognizing story structure
5. Summarizing

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Strategies that can be taught effectively
(according the NRP)

• NRP report (2000) identified 16 categories of
  text comprehension instruction 7 concluded to
  have a solid scientific basis
• Comprehension monitoring
• Cooperative learning (where children learn
  reading strategies together)
• Graphic and semantic organizers
• Question answering
• Question generation
• Story structure
• Summarization

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A possible advantage of strategies that focus
attention on what the text says?

• McKeown Beck IES study (J Ed Psych, in press)
• Strategies
• Predicting
• Summarizing
• Making inferences
• Generating questions
• Comprehension monitoring
• Content focus Questioning the Author
• Content focus produced better comprehension

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Frameworks for reading comprehension

• Caveat frameworks vs models
• Grain size issues
• Useful frameworks range between 3 and 20
  components
• Trade-offs of completeness with simplicity

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One with 4 Components Rand Ready Study Group
Report (2002)
A heuristic for thinking about reading
comprehension
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A cognitive framework

• An (almost) consensual framework of medium grain
  size
• Perfetti, C. A. (1999). Comprehending written
  language A blueprint of the reader. In C. Brown
  P. Hagoort (Eds.), The neurocognition of
  language (pp. 167-208). Oxford University Press.
• Perfetti, C. A., Landi, N., Oakhill, J.
  (2005). The acquisition of reading comprehension
  skill. In M. J. Snowling C. Hulme (Eds.), The
  science of reading A handbook (pp. 227-247).
  Oxford Blackwell.

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Linguistic and Writing System Knowledge
Linguistic System
Orthographic System
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology
Mapping to phonology
Comprehension Processes
Parser
Meaning and Form Selection
Word Identification
Inferences
NonLinguistic (conceptual) knowledge
Perfetti (1999) Perfetti, Landi Oakhill, 2005
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Linguistic and Writing System Knowledge
Linguistic System
Orthographic System
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology
Mapping to phonology
Word Identification
NonLinguistic (conceptual) knowledge
Perfetti (1999) Perfetti, Landi Oakhill, 2005
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Linguistic and Writing System Knowledge
Linguistic System
Orthographic System
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology
Mapping to phonology
Comprehension Processes
Control Processes Attention Strategies Monitoring
Parser
Meaning and Form Selection
Word Identification
Inferences
NonLinguistic (conceptual) knowledge
Perfetti (1999) Perfetti, Landi Oakhill, 2005
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3. Simplifying frameworks

• To highlight broad components that are pressure
  points for comprehension problems

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Pressure Points

• Processes
• Word Identification
• Word Meaning Selection
• Sentence meaning
• Text integration
• Successive sentences
• Global Text Meaning
• Gist (summaries)

• Knowledge sources
• Word form
• Word meaning local text meaning
• Word meaning syntax
• Sentence meaning referential word meaning
• All relevant knowledge from text

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A focus on word meanings
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N. Landi dissertation (University. of Pittsburgh
adult sample)
Word knowledge and Comprehension
N 799

• 23 below median on comprehension component but
  above median on lexical component
• 9 had the reverse pattern Above median on Comp,
  below on Lexical

Lexical Component
Comprehension Component
Scatter Plot of subjects normalized component
scores following factor analysis and rotation
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Word knowledge

• Lexical Quality and Comprehension (Perfetti
  Hart, 2001 2002 Perfetti 2007)
• General relationships between comprehension and
  knowledge of both
• Word meaning
• Word form
• Meaning Word learning
• Skilled comprehenders (ERPs) show stronger
  recognition of a word learning episode (Perfetti,
  Wlotko, hart, 2005)
• Meaning Word to text integration
• Skilled comprehenders (ERPs) show stronger
  integration of word meanings across sentences in
  text (Perfetti, Yang, Schmalhofer (2008)
• Form Stability of orthographic word
  representations

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Spelling instability in adult readers
Is this a correct spelling, yes or no?
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Simplification Options Processes or Knowledge

• Process
• Decoding
• Meaning selection
• Proposition extraction
• Mental model building

• Knowledge
• Orthography
• Linguistic Knowledge
• Word knowledge
• Nonlinguistic (Conceptual) knowledge

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Linguistic and Writing System Knowledge
Linguistic System
Orthographic System
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology
Mapping to phonology
Comprehension Processes
Parser
2
Meaning and Form Selection
Word Identification
1
Inferences
3
4
NonLinguistic (conceptual) knowledge
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Linguistic and Writing System Knowledge
Linguistic System
Orthographic System
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology
Mapping to phonology
2
1
Comprehension Processes
3
Parser
Meaning and Form Selection
Word Identification
Inferences
NonLinguistic (conceptual) knowledge
4
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A simplified process framework of reading
comprehension
Word Identification
Proposition Extraction
Meaning Selection
Situation Model Building
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A Simplified Knowledge Framework of Reading
Comprehension
Linguistic Knowledge
Word knowledge
Conceptual knowledge
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The Simplified Knowledge Framework of Reading
Comprehension
Linguistic Knowledge
Word knowledge
Attention
Conceptual knowledge
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The Simplified Knowledge Framework of Reading
Comprehension
text
Linguistic Knowledge
Word knowledge
Attention
Conceptual knowledge
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The Simplified Knowledge Framework of Reading
Comprehension
text
Linguistic Knowledge
Text knowledge
Word knowledge
Attention
Conceptual knowledge
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What about spoken language?

1. Correlations of spoken and written language
   increase with educational levels approaching .9
   in adult sample
2. Spoken language is the source of much of the
   relevant knowledge

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What about Comprehension Strategies?

• They are implicit in the framework Attention and
  control processes are about strategies.
• The central strategy is active engagement with a
  text with the intention of understanding.
• This can include comprehension monitoring,
  question asking, question answering,
  summarization, and others

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Engagement vs Mindless reading

• Engagement The reader is motivated to understand
  the text and seeks to do so.
• High Standard for Coherence (van den Broek et al,
  1995)

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Mindless reading evidence that cognition is
altered

• Cognitive processes partially control
  eye-movements
• Reichle Schooler research
• Adult readers Jane Austens Sense and
  Sensibility. 50 chapters, 7-17 pages per chapter
  up to 25 lines per page. Self Paced reading.
  Trained to hit the Z key when they caught
  themselves thinking about something else
• In 12-15 hours of reading, readers caught zone
  outs 8-36 times (ave 23)
• Highly accurate in self-catching Experimenter
  controlled Probes produced average of 9
  additional zone out reports

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Mindless reading results
Normal Self-caught ZO
No. of fixations 37.7 28.1
Off text fixations 0.2 2.6
Length effect 0
Frequency effect 0
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Attention

• So the framework needs attention and control
  otherwise the cognitive part doesnt work
• Comprehension monitoring is the central strategy
  for controlling attention

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Limitations What complexities are needed?

• Knowledge must not be inert.
• Support for using knowledge
• Complex text environments
• Multiple texts
• Using texts for arguments and problem solving

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4. Implications of Simplification

• The basics of comprehension
• Word knowledge
• Form and meaning
• Language knowledge
• Conceptual knowledge
• Text knowledge
• A habits of mind
• High standards for coherence and engagement

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Implications of Simplification

• Focus on fewer problems
• But must understand the underlying complexities
• Hypothesize privileged pressure points
• Word meaning and conceptual knowledge
• Engagement
• Others
• May encourage research that leads to educational
  improvement

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Variability in word episodes Evidence for a
pressure point

• Hart, B., Risley, R. T. (1995). Meaningful
  differences in the everyday experience of young
  American children. Baltimore Paul H. Brookes.

Words heard per hour Words heard per week Words heard per year 4 years
Welfare 616 62,000 3 million 13 million
Working Class 1,251 125,000 6 million 26 million
Professional 2,153 215,000 11 million 45 million
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IES Reading Initiative

• The Reading for Understanding Research Initiative
  (Reading Initiative) is intended to support
  applied basic research to (a) identify underlying
  processes that are malleable and potential
  targets for intervention, (b) develop and
  evaluate interventions (e.g., instructional
  approaches, curricula, technology, teacher
  professional development programs) to improve
  reading comprehension for students in
  prekindergarten through Grade 12, and (c) develop
  and validate assessments of reading
  comprehension.

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Simplicity is a mixed virtue

• For every complex problem there is an answer
  that is clear, simple, and wrong.
• --H.L.Mencken

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An engaged reader