Linguistic Strategies for Comprehending the Instructional Text
Submitted by:
Ludmila Liptakova
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to present the empirical results of qualitative research, which dealt with the role of language in comprehending the instructional text by pupils of 4th and 5th grade. In the research we used cross-curricular links between teaching L1 and teaching the other subjects.
The reasons for this research were the identified problems of Slovak pupils to learn from instructional text in the period of transition from primary to secondary education (in Slovakia the primary education ends in the 4th grade). Other reasons were the unsatisfying results of Slovak pupils in measuring the reading literacy in PIRLS, especially in comprehension of factual texts. For these reasons we focused on developing the strategies that facilitate the process of factual text comprehension and learning from text.
Our research is qualitative, exploratory, therefore we do not formulate hypotheses, but we use an inductive approach. We focus on word-formation categories (grouping of derivatives and compounds) as a strategy in the process of constructing the meaning of terms in instructional text. We rely on the theories of Slovak derivational morphology and the relevant researches from psychology of text comprehension (e.g. Cain, 2010; Kintsch, 1988; Oakhill et al., 2015).
The research sample consists of both a set of textbooks and the pupils of two classes (4th and 5th grade). The research was provided in four phases: 1) Content analysis of instructional texts from Science Study, Biology and Geography aimed at the presence of derivatives and compounds. 2) Linguistic analysis of word-formation categories to which derivatives and compounds can be grouped. 3) Designing the educational units of Slovak language with focus on linguistic categorization of terms. 4) Implementation during the L1 lessons and observation of the learning process. 5) Observing the transfer of linguistic strategies to instructional text comprehension at the lessons of Science Study, Biology and Geography.
Analysis and interpretation of empirical data showed the positive role of word-formation categorization of terms as a strategy for comprehending the instructional text. During the L1 lessons the pupils acquired the corresponding learning strategies which were helpful in comprehending the instructional text in other subjects.
Key words: Reading literacy, Text comprehension, Instructional text, Word-formation, Primary education, Learning strategies.
References
CAIN, K. (2010). Reading Development and Difficulties. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons – BPS Blackwell.
KINTSCH, W. (1988). A Role of Knowledge in Discourse Comprehension: A Construction-Integration Model. Psychological Review, 95(2), 163–182.
OAKHILL, J., CAIN, K., & ELBRO, C. (2015). Understanding and Teaching Reading Comprehension. A handbook. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge