Question Formation and Working Memory Capacity on L2 Reading Comprehension
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17058/signo.v43i77.12247Keywords:
Question formation. Working memory capacity. Reading comprehension. L2.Abstract
The assessment of reading comprehension is an issue that has motivated a considerable amount of studies. Many of these have shown that the variables of readers’ characteristics, types of texts, subsequent task of reading comprehension and language do influence the way one approaches a text. In this paper, the extent to which the ability to formulate questions about a text correlates with working memory capacity was examined. Eleven L2 (foreign, second, additional language) graduate students performed a reading span test and a reading task which required them to read two expository texts and formulate one question at the end of each paragraph of each of the texts. Results indicated that, although there was not a statistically significant correlation between textually implicit and scripturally implicit questions and working memory capacity, these types of questions were more frequent for those readers with a higher working memory capacity, suggesting that they are more prone to make inferences.Downloads
References
AFFLERBACH, P. P. The influence of prior knowledge on expert’s readers’ main Idea construction strategies. Reading Research Quarterly, XXV, 1, p. 31-46, 1990.
BADDELEY, A. D. Human Memory: theory and Practice. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1998.
BADDELEY, A. D.; HITCH, G. Working Memory: psychology of learning and motivation, 8, p. 47-90, 1974.
BADDELEY, A. Memória de Trabalho. In: BADDELEY, A.; ANDERSON, M. C.; EYSENCK, M.W. Memória. Porto Alegre: ARTMED, 2011, p. 54-82.
BARETTA, L. The performance of proficient EFL readers when reading to recall and to summarize expository texts. 1998. 191f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Letras Inglês). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, outubro, 1998.
BARETTA, L. A performance de leitores proficientes em inglês versus tarefa de leitura. ROTEIRO: Revista científica da UNOESC – Campus de Joaçaba, v. 28, n.1, p. 41-56, 2003.
BARETTA, L.; TOMITCH, L.M.B.; LIM, V. K.; WALDIE, K. E. Investigating reading comprehension through EEG. Ilha do Desterro, 63, p. 69-99, 2012.
BARETTA, L.; TOMITCH, L.M.B.; McNAIR, N.; LIM, V. k.; WALDIE, K. E. Inference making while reading narrative and expository texts: An ERP study. Psychology & Neuroscience, v. 2, n.2, p. 3-9, dez, 2009.
CARPENTER, P., MYIAKE, A.; JUST, M.A. Working memory constrains in comprehension: evidence form individual differences, aphasia and aging. In: GERNSBACHER, M.A. (ed.). Handbook of psycholinguistics. New York: Academic Press, 1994.
CARR, E.; OGLE, D. K-W-L Plus: a strategy for comprehension summarization. Journal of Reading, V.30, nr.7 (April), p. 626-631, 1987.
CARRELL, P.L. Awareness of text structure: effects on recall. Language Learning, v. 42, n. 1, p. 1-20, 1992.
DANEMAN, M. Working Memory as a Predictor of verbal Fluency. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 6, p. 445-463, 1991.
DANEMAN, M.; CARPENTER, P. Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of verbal Learning and verbal behavior, 19, p. 450-466, 1980.
DANEMAN, M.; CARPENTER, P. Individual differences in integrating information between and within sentences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: learning, memory and cognition, 9, p. 561-584, 1983.
DANEMAN, M.; GREEN, I. Individual differences in comprehending and producing words in context. Journal of Memory and Language, 25, p. 1-18, 1986.
DAROS, E.G. A leitura de textos em Língua Materna e Estrangeira com Estudantes da EJA: Estudo de Estratégias. 2016. 182f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Letras). Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, Guarapuava, 2016.
DAVIES, F. Introducing Reading. London: Penguin books, 1995.
DAY, R.R.; PARK, J. Developing reading comprehension questions. Reading in a foreign language, v. 17, n.1, April 2005.
DUBRAVAC, S.; DALLE, M. Reader question formation as a tool for measuring comprehension: narrative and expository textual inferences in a second language. Journal of Research in reading, v. 25, n. 2, p. 217-231, 2002.
EGGINS, S. An introduction on systemic functional linguistics. Pinter Publishing, 1994.
ELLIS, R. The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University Press, 1994.
ENGEL, R. Melting away. Newsweek, 29, p.29, March 1996.
FORTKAMP, M. B. M. Working Memory Capacity and L2 Speech Production: an exploratory study. Tese (Doutorado em Letras Inglês). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. (UFSC). Florianópolis, 2000.
GERNSBACHER, A.M. Two decades of structure building. Discourse processes, 23, p. 265-304, 1997.
GEROT, L. Exploring reading process. In: UNSWORTH, L. (ed.). Researching language in schools and communities: Functional linguistic perspectives. London. CASSELL, 2000, p. 204-221.
GOLDMAN, S.R. Learning from text: reflections on the past and suggestions for the future. Discourse Processes, 23, p. 357-398, 1997.
GRAESSER, A.C.; KREUZ, R.J. A theory of inference generation during text comprehension. Discourse Processes, v.16, 3, 1993.
GUARÁ TAVARES, M.G. Pre-task planning, working memory capacity, and L2 speech performance. 2008. 236f. Tese (Doutorado em Letras Inglês). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, maio 2008.
HALLDORSON, M.; SINGER, M. Inference processes: integrating relevant knowledge and text information. Discourse processes, v. 34, n. 2, p. 145-161, 2002.
HARE, V. C. Summarizing text. In: IRWIN, J. W.; DOYLE, I. (Eds.), Reading / Writing connections: learning from research. Newark, DEL: International reading association, 1992, p.96-118.
HOEY, M. On the surface of discourse. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1983.
JUST M.A.; CARPENTER, P. A capacity theory of comprehension: individual differences in working memory. Psychological review, 99, p.122-149, 1992.
KAMAS, E.N.; REDER, L.M. The role of familiarity in cognitive processing. In: LORCH, R.F.; O’BRIEN, R.F. (Eds.). Sources of coherence in reading. New Jersey, USA: LEA, 1995. p. 177-200.
KINTSCH, W.; FRANZKE, M. The role of background knowledge in the recall of a news story. In: LORCH, R.F. O’BRIEN, R.F. (Eds.). Sources of coherence in reading. New Jersey, USA: LEA, 1995, p. 321-333.
KINTSCH, W.; VAN DIJK, T. A. Toward a model of text comprehension and production. Psychological Review, v. 85, n. 5, p/ 363-394, 1978.
KINTSCH, W.; RAWSON, K.A. Compreensão. IN: SNOWLING, M.J.; HULME, C. (orgs.). A ciência da leitura. Porto Alegre: Penso Editora, 2013, p. 227-244.
KLAIDMAN, D. Like hitting a wall. Newsweek, p. 39, November 1996.
LEHMAN, S.; SCHRAW, G. Effects of coherence and relevance on shallow and deep text processing. Journal of Educational Psychology, v. 94, n.4, p. 438-750, 2002.
LINDERHOLM, T.; VAN DEN BROEK, P. The Effects of reading purpose and working memory capacity on the processing of expository texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, v. 94, n. 4, p. 778-784, 2002.
MATIELO, R. Intralingual subtitles, interlingual subtitles, and L2 vocabulary learning: an exploratory study with Brazilian EFL students. 2016. 272f. Tese (Doutorado em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, março, 2016.
MICIANO, R.Z. The content and form of reader-generated questions: implications for teaching questioning strategies. Asia Pacific Education Review, v. 5, n. 2, p. 149-156, 2004.
NARVAEZ, D.; VAN DEN BROEK, P.; RUIZ, A.B. The influence of reading purpose on inference generation and comprehension in reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, v. 91, n. 3, p. 488-496, 1999.
O’BRIEN, E.J. Automatic components of discourse comprehension. In: LORCH F.R.J.; O’BRIEN, E. J. (Eds.) Sources of coherence in reading. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1995. p. 159-76.
OLIVEIRA, S. Question-asking in Brazilian Portuguese reading comprehension textbooks. Ilha do Desterro, n. 38, p. 39-56, 2000.
PARIS, S.G.; LIPSON, M. Y.; WIXSON, K.K. Becoming a strategic reader. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8, p. 293-316, 1983.
RILEY, G. L.; LEE, J. F. A comparison of recall and summary protocols as measures of second language reading comprehension. Language testing, 1, p. 173-187, 1996.
SINGER, M.; ANDRUSIAK, P.; REISDORF, P.; BLACK, N. Individual differences in bridging inference processes. Memory & Cognition, v. 20, n.5, p. 539-548, 1992.
SUH, S.; TRABASSO, T. Inferences during reading: converging evidence from discourse analysis, talk-aloud protocols and recognition priming. Journal of memory and language, 32, p. 279-300, 1993.
TOMITCH, L. M. B. Individual differences in text organization perception and working memory capacity. Revista da ANPOLL, 2, p. 71-93, 1996.
TOMITCH, L. M. B. Individual differences in working memory capacity and the recall of predicted items in the text. Lenguas Modernas, p. 26-27, p. 3-51, 1999-2000.
TOMITCH, L. M. B. Reading: text organization perception and working memory capacity. Florianópolis: UFSC, Departamento de língua e literaturas estrangeiras, 2003.
TORRES, A. C. G. Working memory capacity and readers’ performance on main idea construction in L1 and L2. Tese (Doutorado em Letras Inglês). Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 2003.
TRABASSO, T.; MAGLIANO, J.P. Conscious understanding during comprehension. Discourse Processes, 21, p. 255-287, 1996.
MAGLIANO, J.P.; TRABASSO, T.; GRAESSER, A.C. Strategic processing during comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, v.91, n.4, p. 615-629, 1999.
VAN DEN BROEK, P.; RISDEN, K.; FLETCHER, C.R.; THURLOW, R. A “landscape” view of reading: fluctuating patterns of activation and the construction of a stable memory representation. In: BRITTON, B.C.; GRAESSER, A.C. (eds.) Models of Understanding text. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1995. p. 165-87.
VAN DEN BROEK, P.; RISDEN, K.; HUSEBYE-HARTMANN. The role of readers’ standards for coherence in the generation of inferences during reading. In: LORCH, R.F.J; O’ O’BRIEN, E. J. (Eds.) Sources of coherence in reading. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1995. p. 353-373.
VAN DIJK, T.A.; KINTSCH, W. Strategies of discourse comprehension. New York: Academic Press, 1983.
ZWAAN, R.A.; BROWN, C.M. The influence of language proficiency and comprehension skill on situation-model construction. Discourse Processes, 21, p. 289-327, 1996.
WHITNEY, P.; RITCHIE, B. G.; CLARK, M. B. Working memory capacity and the use of elaborative inferences in text comprehension. Discourse Processes, v.14, p. 133-145, 1991.
WINOGRAD, P. N. Strategic difficulties in summarizing texts. Reading Research Quarterly, xix, 4, p. 404-425, 1984.
WOLF, D. A comparison of assessment tasks used to measure FL reading comprehension. Modern Language Journal, 77, p.473-89, 1993.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors publishing with Signo retain the copyright to their work, licensing it under the Creative Commons Attribution License which allows articles to be re-used and re-distributed without restriction, as long as the original work is correctly cited. Signo is owned by Associação Pró-Ensino em Santa Cruz do Sul and also hosts the Open Journal System plataform. Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional.
