By: William Collins The dissertation by Constance L. Pearson focuses on the issue of reading comprehension and the barriers associated with reading comprehension. Pearson identifies a variety of factors that impact reading comprehension. The motivation level of the reader, the reader’s reading level, the level of the content, and the reader’s interest significantly impact an individual’s comprehension ability. (Pearson, 1987). Pearson argues there is a direct relationship between schema and reading comprehension. Schema refers to the background knowledge on a specific topic or idea an individual has, it is all the ideas someone has related to a particular word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson claims graphic organizers are an effective tool for measuring and teaching background knowledge, “reading comprehension appears to be enhanced by the use of advanced organizers (Pearson, 1987). Teaching methodologies and the popular research concerning reading comprehension has changed significantly over the decades. Reading comprehension was initially believed to be a process activated by the text alone. The new popular research indicates reading comprehension is complex and influenced by many variables (Pearson, 1987). The research indicates students need some background knowledge or basic understanding of the topic beforehand to fully comprehend the subject matter. The student’s level of prior knowledge significantly impacts reading comprehension. Pearson uses the term schema to refer to this background information or prior knowledge the reader posses beforehand, “Schema is all the ideas someone has related to a word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson points to the study of Social Studies to demonstrate this point. The study of Social Studies and History is a continuous story covering a wide range of issues and topics, many of which require the reader to have substantial background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject
By: William Collins The dissertation by Constance L. Pearson focuses on the issue of reading comprehension and the barriers associated with reading comprehension. Pearson identifies a variety of factors that impact reading comprehension. The motivation level of the reader, the reader’s reading level, the level of the content, and the reader’s interest significantly impact an individual’s comprehension ability. (Pearson, 1987). Pearson argues there is a direct relationship between schema and reading comprehension. Schema refers to the background knowledge on a specific topic or idea an individual has, it is all the ideas someone has related to a particular word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson claims graphic organizers are an effective tool for measuring and teaching background knowledge, “reading comprehension appears to be enhanced by the use of advanced organizers (Pearson, 1987). Teaching methodologies and the popular research concerning reading comprehension has changed significantly over the decades. Reading comprehension was initially believed to be a process activated by the text alone. The new popular research indicates reading comprehension is complex and influenced by many variables (Pearson, 1987). The research indicates students need some background knowledge or basic understanding of the topic beforehand to fully comprehend the subject matter. The student’s level of prior knowledge significantly impacts reading comprehension. Pearson uses the term schema to refer to this background information or prior knowledge the reader posses beforehand, “Schema is all the ideas someone has related to a word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson points to the study of Social Studies to demonstrate this point. The study of Social Studies and History is a continuous story covering a wide range of issues and topics, many of which require the reader to have substantial background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject