The Reading Process in Content Fields: A Psycholinguistic Investigation

Abstract

This study focused on readers’ attempts to gain meaning from three content passages using the syntactic and semantic cue systems. The design employed a 3 × 3 × 6 repeated-measures analysis of variance and supplemental ethnographic techniques to examine the reading processes of 36 fifth grade students. Results indicated that high, average, and low ability readers are consistent in using syntactic and semantic cues to reconstruct meaning; the application of these strategies does not vary with the reading content. Evidence from this study suggests that it is not the content of the material in and of itself that affects the ability of any type of reader to reconstruct meaning. It appears that it is the readers’ prior knowledge and interest in content material that influences comprehension.