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The relationship among processing factors and the comprehension of literary and scientific discourses of fourth grade readers was examined. With one exception, a different matrix of processing behaviors were associated with the recall within the two disciplinary discourses. However, clauses read in a manner than maintained the author’s meaning, regardless of the existence of miscues, were positively correlated with local and global levels of comprehension on both discourse types. Interestingly, words read per minute, accuracy, reading levels as determined by the Qualitative Reading Inventory, and oral reading fluency as determined by DIBELS were unrelated to strong retellings.

This research explores the impact of accuracy and meaning maintaining miscues on the comprehension of complex texts. The issue is explored through fourth graders’ readings and retellings. Two types of reading behaviors are examined: (a) portions of text read with no miscues, and (b) portions of text read with meaning-maintaining miscues. Findings indicate that readers were significantly more likely to comprehend information that was read with meaning-maintaining miscues than when read with no miscues. Researchers and educators need to understand the deeper meanings behind certain types of miscue and their supportive role in the comprehension process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines reader understandings that vary from those stated in the text. Fourth graders orally read complex academic literary and scientific texts, following by retellings. Retold ideas not directly supported by the texts were identified. These differing understandings were found to be due to eight factors: conflation, conceptual knowledge, text structure, lexical knowledge, cause/effect, extension, association, and misremembering. Differing understandings were found to reflect the very active nature of the comprehension process and of minds fully engaged. These meanings challenge the current emphasis on close reading since the natural consequence of such activity are differing understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the characteristics of reader understandings that vary from those stated in the text. Eighty-seven fourth graders orally read complex academic literary and scientific texts, followed by probed retellings. Retold ideas not directly supported by, or reflective of, the texts were identified. These differing understandings served as a foundation for the development of a taxonomy that classified them by type: conflation, conceptual knowledge, text/rhetorical structure, lexical knowledge, cause/effect, extension, association and misremembering. Approximately 60% of the differing understandings across the texts were conflations and extensions. However, particular texts did reflect particular types of differing understandings. In general, differing understandings were found to be reflective of the very active nature of the comprehension process. These meanings serve as a challenge to the current emphasis on close reading and the generation of text-based meanings because the natural consequence of such activity are differing understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the nature of comprehended meanings that do not match those of the author. These meanings were generated by two groups of fourth graders after reading a narrative or expository text. Readers read their respective texts aloud, followed by a recall and probes. Reading behaviours were examined to establish that processing difficulties did not significantly impact reader comprehension. Retold clauses that did not match those in the text were classified using a retelling taxonomy: substitution, addition, summary, conflict, rearrangement, omission. It was discovered that both groups of readers went beyond the information given, approximately 18 per cent of the time for the narration and 59 per cent of the time for the exposition. Additionally, the profiles of this information varied between the two groups. Narrative retellings contained a high percentage of conflicts, with very few substitutions, summaries or rearrangement of ideas. In contrast, expository retellings had significant numbers of substitutions and summaries, with fewer additions and rearrangements. It is hypothesised that reader background knowledge accounted for the variation in the retelling profiles and that this background facilitated as well as inhibited understanding. Given such variation even among these proficient readers, teachers not only need to help students develop background knowledge related to the text, but also encourage readers to cross-check their understandings with the text. Interestingly, this cross-checking is especially needed when there is an alignment between reader background and text content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the nature of the comprehension of highly proficient readers who demonstrated various degrees of understanding. Thirty-four readers orally read and retold the first chapter of a book. Although the text was easily read, an analysis of the strongest and weakest retelling's on the story and clause levels indicated a substantial amount of recalled information not represented in the chapter. This new information was unrelated to comprehension abilities and strong comprehenders on the story event level were not necessarily strong comprehenders on the clause level. As teachers promote comprehension in their students, it is important to remember that just as comprehension is multi-dimension in nature, so too might be the comprehenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the relationship among various processing behaviors and their link to comprehension. Thirty-four students from three fourth-grade classrooms orally read the first chapter of a short story. The reading was followed by an unaided recall and probes by the researcher. Each clause as finally read was evaluated for semantics (acceptable/unacceptable) and maintenance of author's meaning (yes/no). Finally, words read per minute and number of total, corrected, and uncorrected miscues was calculated. The impact of miscues on retelling performance on the clause and story event level was evaluated using nonparametric, parametric, and multivariate analyses. On the clause level, findings indicate that a similar proportion of clauses were recalled irrespective of whether the clause had been read with no miscues, corrected miscues, or uncorrected miscues. There was a significant difference, however, in the proportion of recalled clauses depending on miscue type. Uncorrected semantically unacceptable/meaning disrupting clauses were less likely to be recalled, whereas clauses containing uncorrected miscues that did not change meaning were more likely to be recalled than clauses read with no miscues. On the story level, strong retellings were associated with fewer meaning changing and meaning disrupting miscues and with more corrected miscues and reading speed. Total number of miscues, miscues that did not change meaning, and reading grade level were not significantly associated with strong story retellings. These findings suggest that the concept of accuracy may not be as significant as miscue meaningfulness and that speed is best understood as part of a matrix of behaviors associated with strong comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate over the extent to which individual letters are perceived by proficient readers continues to play a dominant role in the ongoing “reading wars.” One view holds that virtually all letters are processed, the other view that only some letters are perceived, supplemented by context and background knowledge. There is little research, however, that has examined the actual relationship between reading behaviors and comprehension. This research investigates the relationship between processing behaviors, as reflected in miscues, and comprehension, as reflected in text retellings. Twenty-four graduate students who were proficient readers individually read aloud a short story, followed by a typed, unaided retelling. Using the clause as the unit of analysis and miscue analysis as the method to investigate processing behaviors, each clause as finally read was evaluated for semantics or sense (acceptability/unacceptable) and if the author's meaning was maintained (yes/no). Each clause in the retellings was also fully or partially matched, when possible, with an equivalent clause in the text. Despite differences in processing behaviors, similar proportions of clauses were recalled irrespective of whether the clause had been read with no miscues, a corrected miscue, or an uncorrected miscue. Similarly, clauses read with different types of uncorrected miscue were recalled in approximately equal proportions, with the exception of miscues that changed the author's meaning. Miscues that changed the author's meaning were significantly less likely to be recalled. In general, however, for this group of readers, miscues in and of themselves did not have a significant impact on text comprehension at the micro level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]