Use of metacognitive strategies when reading both narrative and expository text
Date
2000
Authors
Burles, Faye Dinah
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Abstract
In order to gain detailed and authentic evidence of the metacognitive strategies used by students while reading narrative and expository text, readers in grades four, seven and ten were asked to use a think-aloud procedure. Think-aloud comments were analyzed to determine four areas of information: (I) the actual strategies used by students of varying ages; (2) the ways in which good and poor readers dealt with comprehension break-down; (3) in order to gain a more complete view of their strategy repertoire, students were asked to read both narrative and expository text; and (4) whether there was consistency between actual use and that reported on questionnaires.
Students were asked to complete two questionnaires, to survey their knowledge of and their motivation to use these strategies. All students gave evidence of strategy use, with individual variation at all ages. Older and more expert readers were able to implement strategies that moved them closer to their goal of comprehension, and were able to select strategies appropriate to the style of text. Implications of these results are discussed, in terms of what motivates readers to implement metacognitive strategies, especially those with learning disabilities.