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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Search and Comprehension Processes in Learning from Text

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We analyzed the relationships between comprehension skill and search strategies in instructional text. In two experiments, college-level readers were asked to search a computer-presented science text in order to answer different types of questions. High level questions required the integration of information across paragraphs, whereas low level questions requested the localization of information within a single paragraph. High level questions were re-read more often and they resulted in broader text search patterns. Furthermore, students who were diagnosed as good comprehenders located relevant sections of the text faster and spent more time on those sections. Poor comprehenders, on the other hand, showed more “erratic” search patterns, spending more time on irrelevant portions of the materials. The results support the view that skilled comprehension involves the ability to allocate various levels of attention to different portions of the text, depending on contextual constraints.