Skilled Comprehension and Its Development Through Instruction

Abstract

This article addresses the myth that children will be able to comprehend a text simply because they can decode words in it. Evidence is provided to support the claim that developing readers benefit from explicit teaching of comprehension strategies via direct explanation and modeling of strategies. Transactional strategies in which readers interact with text and with each other are more effective in improving reading comprehension than reciprocal teaching, which involves less explicit instruction by the teacher. Classroom observation studies show that insufficient attention is directed to comprehension, which needs to be taught and not just monitored.

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Notes on contributors

Michael Pressley

As of September 1, 1997, Michael Pressley is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, where he is the Director of the Masters of Arts in Teaching Program. He has written extensively on a range of topics in the areas of cognition and instruction.

Ruth Wharton-McDonald

As of September 1, 1997, Ruth Wharton-McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests focus on early literacy development and the ways in which it can be facilitated in the classroom.