Elizabeth Stevens, Ph.D., published “The Effects of a Paraphrasing and Text Structure Intervention on the Main Idea Generation and Reading Comprehension of Students with Reading Disabilities in Grades 4 and 5” in the Scientific Studies of Reading.
We asked her some questions about her work.
How does this publication help with your research goals and/or interests?
“I am interested in designing and testing reading interventions to improve the reading outcomes for students with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. In this study, I designed and tested a reading comprehension intervention aimed at improving students’ reading comprehension by identifying main ideas and integrating those ideas across sections of text. Students learned a paraphrasing process (Get the Gist) to identify the main topic and the most important information about that topic. Students also learned how to use text structure (i.e., the way nonfiction texts are organized; e.g., description, compare-contrast, problem-solution) awareness to identify the most important information in the text. I am working on an article for teachers that explains the instructional practices, and how text structure instruction can be used to support readers with identifying the most important information in the text.”
Article Abstract:
“This study examined the effects of a small group intervention targeting paraphrasing and text structure instruction on the main idea generation and reading comprehension of students with reading disabilities in Grades 4 and 5. Students (N = 62) were randomly assigned to receive the Tier 2-type intervention or business-as-usual instruction. Students in the intervention received 25, 40-minute lessons focused on paraphrasing sections of text by identifying the main topic and the most important idea about that topic. Students utilized the text structure organization to inform their main idea generation.”
Where can one view this article?
The article can be found on the website for Scientific Studies of Reading.