Discourse structure analysis: An introduction to procedures and implications for instruction

Abstract

Discourse structure analysis is a field of inquiry central to current research on text demands, comprehension, and recall. It is also a highly technical and difficult field for reading experts not directly involved to understand and use. The purpose of this article is to provide a structured overview of this rather splintered field. By showing how linguistics and the study of human memory combined with psycholinguistics, this article sets discourse structure analysis in a historical context. It also attempts a review of the literature by organizing analysis techniques into three major categories (micro‐structure techniques, macro‐structure techniques, and story grammars) and by describing selected studies which used discourse structure analysis. From a synthesis of the cited studies, the article also offers implications for reading instruction, suggesting that recall instruction be an added emphasis.