Search results for "COMPREHENSION"

Minimality as vacuous distinctness: Evidence from cross-linguistic sentence comprehension

2009

Abstract Psycholinguistic theorising has long been shaped by the assumption that the processing system endeavours to minimise structures/relations during online comprehension. Within the scope of a recent cross-linguistic, neurocognitive model of sentence comprehension (Bornkessel and Schlesewsky, 2006), we also proposed that the assumption of a very general ‘Minimality’ principle can account for a variety of psycholinguistic findings from a range of languages. In the present paper, we review empirical evidence for this notion of Minimality, before going on to discuss its limitations. On the basis of this discussion, we propose that, rather than constituting an independent processing princi…

Influence of Background Knowledge and Language Proficiency on Comprehension of Domain-Specific Texts by University Students

2019

This paper presents the results of a quantitative study that explores two factors contributing to reading comprehension of domain specific texts, namely level of language proficiency and background knowledge. Overall, 32 students participated in the study by taking two custom-designed reading comprehension tests. The test scores were further  analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results of statistical tests revealed the differences between study groups as well as the effects of compensation. More precisely, the most proficient group scored higher on almost all tests and completed the tests more quickly than the remaining groups. The statistical tools used to test the data showed th…

The Role of Prominence Information in the Real-Time Comprehension of Transitive Constructions: A Cross-Linguistic Approach

2008

Approaches to language processing have traditionally been formulated with reference to general cognitive concepts (e.g. working memory limitations) or have based their representational assumptions on concepts from generative linguistic theory (e.g. structure determines interpretation). Thus, many well-established generalisations about language that have emerged from cross-linguistic/typological research have not as yet had a major influence in shaping ideas about online processing. Here, we examine the viability of using typologically motivated concepts to account for phenomena in online language comprehension. In particular, we focus on the comprehension of simple transitive sentences (i.e…

Neural Correlates of Idiom Comprehension

2002

Metalinguistic Development in First-Language Acquisition

1997

At a very early age, the child is able to manipulate language appropriately, both in its comprehension and its production. Later comes the ability to reflect upon and deliberately control its use. The emergence of these metalinguistic abilities must be distinguished from that of ordinary verbal communication. The key questions concerning this topic are: What is metalinguistics? What knowledge do metalinguistic abilities require? Are they conscious activities? And how do they develop? (also see the review by Tunmer in Volume 2 and by Nicholson in this volume.)

Postgraduates' science comprehension monitoring in EFL

2015

INTRODUCTION. Nowadays, accessing the European labour market opportunities implies having a high command of English. For this reason, most Spanish universities offer their Bachelor Degrees/Undergraduate Degrees in English. Learning at university, especially in distance learning, strongly depends on the student's own comprehension monitoring when reading instructional materials, usually expository texts. The present work compares comprehension monitoring (CM) in Spanish and in English of Spanish university students with a high level of English proficiency. A replication study is developed to increase the validity of the interesting results obtained on English-Spanish differences in CM at mic…

Using the visualization tool SimReal to orchestrate mathematical teaching for engineering students

2018

Visualization tools provide a potentially powerful support for the learning of abstract mathematical topics in engineering courses. SimReal is a visualization tool for teaching mathematics for a wide range of engineering topics. It provides video lessons, interactive simulations and animations to enhance comprehension and engagement in abstract mathematics subjects. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of SimReal to orchestrate mathematical teaching for engineering students. It uses the framework of instrumental orchestration to configure and exploit various artefacts with the intention of performing a didactical purpose.

Towards more Valid Assessment of Learning from Animations

2020

Animated explanations have become an ubiquitous feature of modern educational practice. They provide a distinctive, non-verbal means of presenting information that is particularly appropriate for dynamic subject matter. However, the prevailing approaches used to assess learning from educational animations are almost exclusively verbal. There is thus a clear disconnect between the form of representation students encounter during their learning activity and the very different form of representation used to assess the resulting learning outcomes. This fundamental inconsistency undermines the validity of current assessment approaches and signals the need for a fresh look at how learning from an…

Teaching strategies to create visual representations of key ideas in content area text materials: A longterm intervention inserted in school curricul…

1995

This paper describes a long-term research in which middle-grade school children were taught how to represent visually text key ideas through idea-mapping techniques. It consists of three studies, one for each year of our research. Children were at sixth grade when the instruction began, and they were at eighth grade when it finished. Another group of children from a different public school served as control group. Instruction was very close to the real school conditions: instructors were ordinary teachers, instruction was inserted in the content area curriculum, and ordinary textbooks were regularly employed, though combined with specially elaborated materials. Results were positive in the …

Levels of comprehension of scientific prose: the role of text variables

1998

Abstract This research investigates the role played on shallow and deep levels of comprehension by textual changes that are aimed at: (a) improving the relationships within text ideas, and (b) producing better links between text ideas and the reader's knowledge. Four versions of a long physics passage were elaborated combining both kinds of textual changes. Four groups of tenth graders were each given one of the four versions. Different measures representative of these levels of comprehension were taken: getting main ideas, recall, and problem solving. The results indicated that: (a) main idea performance was affected by improving the relationships within text ideas, (b) both textual change…