Delayed keyword generation improves secondary students’ metacomprehension of print and digital text / La generación diferida de palabras clave mejora la metacomprensión del texto impreso y digital de los estudiantes de secundaria

Abstract

Meta-analytic research with undergraduate students reveals they tend to overestimate their text comprehension to a higher extent when they read texts in digital as opposed to printed format. This inaccurate metacomprehension of students’ own understanding could lead them to ineffective reading and studying decisions, such as early termination of a rather complex text. This study investigates the effectiveness of delayed keyword generation in improving absolute metacomprehension accuracy among lower-secondary (seventh- and eighth-grade) and middle-secondary (ninth- and tenth-grade) students when reading in print and on a tablet. Findings showed that lower-secondary students in the intervention group improved absolute metacomprehension accuracy compared to the control group. A similar trend appeared among middle-secondary students, where the intervention group showed lower predictions of performance but similar comprehension outcomes across groups. Contrary to our expectations, the intervention’s effect was independent of reading medium (print vs. tablet), likely due to comparable reading performance across both formats. These findings suggest that the delayed-keyword generation effectively enhances adolescents’ comprehension monitoring, irrespective of the reading medium.