Upon entering tertiary education students have to undergo development with regard to the way in which information is gathered, processed and produced because the academic context (secondary environment) is different to the primary context in so many ways. Students have to acquire the identity or discourse of the secondary environment, in other words they must learn how to behave, interact, believe, speak, read and write in an academic way (Gee, 1996:viii). When students have acquired the identity of the secondary environment they are well on their way to a successful academic career. The choice has been made to focus on one component of identity, namely reading, and specifically academic reading. The latter concept is defined as the process to accept, reject and synthesize incoming information from various sources – the guiding principle in this process is the aim of theorizing. It was found that comprehension of the semantics and function of conjunction markers played an important role in the academic reading process. And that the cloze test is a good method to teach comprehension of conjunction markers. The aim of the current study is to establish whether the use of cloze tests, focused on conjunction markers, will improve academic reading comprehension, within the framework of academic literacy. The empirical research was conducted amongst first year students at the North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus. Participants were selected using the following criteria: they had AGLA111 and they were first year students during 2008-2010. As basis for this research a pretest-posttest control group experimental design was used. The nature of this research is quantitative and a null-hypothesis (H0) was formulated: cloze tests as a teaching method will not improve reading comprehension. Six sets of data were used for this investigation: the January 2008 results, the June 2008 results, the January 2009 results, the June 2009 results, the January 2010 results and the June 2010 results. These sets of data were compared using independent t-tests to establish whether the means were statistically significant. The sets of data were compared looking at - the TAG as a whole and - only the questions that involved conjunction markers. The test in January is written before students commence with their studies and the test in June is written after they have received intervention by way of the academic literacy module. The only intervention in 2008 was the standard academic literacy module – this group serves as the control group. During 2009, besides the standard intervention, students underwent five weeks of cloze tests with conjunction markers as focus – this was the pilot study. The experimental group which had standard intervention as well as nine weeks of cloze tests, was the group of 2010. The results of the experiment show that the effect size was big with regard to the results of the TAG as a whole and medium with regards to the questions that involve conjunction markers. The results were statistically significant in both cases and the mean of the post tests were higher in each event. The finding is that cloze test training focussed on conjunction markers is a good method for improving academic reading comprehension, but more research is still necessary. / MA (Afrikaans en Nederlands), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

1. AIM - The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between metacognition and reading comprehension and also the relationship between metacognition, age and reading comprehension. 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE STUDY - In chapter 2 the cognitive approach to learning and reading, according to which the learner/reader plays an active role in the processing of information, is discussed. The human information processing system is discussed and the chapter is concluded with a discussion of how reading comprehension failures occur due to problems associated with the information processing system. In chapter 3 metacognition is defined and discussed based on the views of John Flavell, Ann Brown and Scott Paris and his co-workers. Certain factors affecting metacognition are also discussed. In chapter 4 the teaching of metacognition and reading strategies are discussed. Text processing strategies and text reorganising strategies are discussed which enable readers to regulate the level of their reading comprehension when comprehension failures occur. 3. EXPERIMENTAL REVIEW - An ex post facto research was undertaken involving all the standard 1 and standard 3 pupils of the largest of three primary schools in a specific town in the PI/IN region. Two questionnaires were used. One questionnaire, which was completed by both groups, tested metacognitive knowledge and skills such as evaluation, planning, regulation and conditional knowledge. Another questionnaire tested reading comprehension by means of a cloze test, an error detection test and a conventional comprehension test. Two different questionnaires were used for the two groups. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed on the data to determine the contribution of each independent variable (planning, evaluation, regulation and conditional knowledge) on the dependent variables (cloze test, error detection test and comprehension test). 3.1 Results - The following metacognitive variables influenced performance in the reading comprehension tests: * Error detection test : planning and conditional knowledge at std. 1 level and evaluation and regulation at std. 3-level. * Cloze test : only planning at std. 1 level and planning, regulation and conditional knowledge at std. 3 level. * Comprehension test : only conditional knowledge at std. 3 level. The results seem to indicate that metacognitive variables do affect performance in reading comprehension tests and that metacognition is related to age, considering the fact that the more "advanced" components of metacognition namely conditional knowledge and regulation affect performance mainly at std. 3 level. The number of metacognitive variables affecting performance in the three comprehension tests, three at std. 1 level and six at standerd three level, also indicates that metacognition develops with age. Due to the small population sample used in the study, however, no general conclusion can be drawn from these results. / Skripsie (MEd (Psigo-opvoedkunde)--PU vir CHO, 1995

Högläsning är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet i dagens klassrum. Forskning visar dock på att lärarens högläsning i många fall behöver effektiviseras. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka vilka effekter lärarens högläsning av berättande texter har på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse i årskurs 4-6. Vidare är syftet att belysa hur lärarens högläsning kan användas som ett didaktiskt redskap för att utveckla elevers läsförståelse och öka deras läsupplevelse. Fokus i arbetet ligger på berättande texter då forskningen visar på att de är de mest förekommande texttyperna i årskurs 4-6. De frågeställningar arbetet besvarar är följande: Vilka effekter har lärarens högläsning av berättande texter på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse? Hur kan lärarens högläsning av berättande texter didaktiskt utformas? Undersökningsmaterialet består till största del av internationella studier, artiklar och nationella forskningsrapporter, vilka har analyserats och jämförts. Att materialet ska vara riktat mot lärarens högläsning och hur högläsningen kan effektiviseras utgör ett obligatoriskt kriterium. Lärarens högläsning av berättande texter visar sig ha en positiv inverkan på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse. Men avgörande för att högläsningen ska kunna bli effektiv, lärorik och meningsfull är att det finns tid och ett syfte med högläsningen. Om läraren inte uppfyller dessa krav kan högläsningen istället få negativa effekter.

This study focused on the integration of book arts in a fifth grade classroom. As an art teacher turned regular education teacher I was interested in the effects of integrating art into the area of reading. The curriculum unit consists of two lessons in which the students were invited to use books arts as a means of expression and comprehension. The lessons correlated with the novel Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. The results include my observations and reflections as a practicing elementary teacher.

This paper focuses on two main areas. Firstly, it aims to investigate to what extent upper secondary EFL students’ response to poetry corresponds with one knowledge requirement set by Skolverket (National Agency for Education) for English 6. Secondly, it aims to give a brief account of student views on specific works of poetry, rather than poetry as a genre. To collect material for this study an investigation of the reception of three poems was conducted in two upper secondary classes, one in a vocational programme and one in an academic programme. The three poems chosen for the purpose were "Time passes by" by Anatol Knotek, "To the Virgins to make much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The study shows that goal fulfilment does take place through the reading of and response to poetry, to a certain extent. The study also indicates that the students are more inclined to appreciate works of poetry than the notion of poetry as a genre. Finally, the paper suggests that more research be done on the subject, specifically to investigate what could be developed in order for poetry reading to further support learning outcomes. / Uppsatsen inriktar sig på två huvudområden. Dess syfte är dels att undersöka i hur stor utsträckning den respons svenska gymnasieelever ger på dikter svarar mot kunskapskrav uppställda av Skolverket i kursplanen för Engelska 6. Dels syftar den till att kort redogöra för elevers syn på några enskilda dikter, snarare än på dikter som genre. En undersökning har genomförts där elever från två gymnasieklasser, en från ett yrkesinriktat program och en från ett studieinriktat program, fått ge sin respons på tre dikter. De valda dikterna är ”Time passes by” av Anatol Knotek, ”To the Virgins to make much of Time” av Robert Herrick och ”Cat’s in the Cradle” av Harry Chapin. Undersökningen visar att läsning och responsgivning på poesi i viss utsträckning leder till måluppfyllelse. Undersökningen tyder också på att eleverna tenderar att uppskatta enskilda dikter mer än dikter som genre, såsom de föreställer sig denna. Slutligen föreslås ytterligare forskning på ämnet med målet att undersöka hur arbete med dikter kan utvecklas för att leda till ytterligare måluppfyllelse. / engelska som främmande språk, dikter, poesi, måluppfyllelse, läsförståelse

This research examined the influence of ability, prior knowledge and knowledge of text structure on expository history text corpora comprehension using a quasi-representative research paradigm. Sixty grade eight students participated in two history units. Hypotheses that ability, prior knowledge and knowledge of text structure would significantly influence performance in terms of the amount and organization of information presented on various measures were supported for the Ancient Man unit only. No interactions between the independent variables arose. The lack of significant findings for the Ancient Egypt unit is explained by poor text corpus organization and weak text structure. The findings suggest that teachers can facilitate students' comprehension of an expository text corpus by providing appropriate background knowledge of content and strategies for recognizing and utilizing text structure. Further, teachers should consider the organization of a textbook or corpus, and when necessary manipulate the materials to improve their structure and comprehensibility.

There is growing evidence that young adult readers frequently fail to create exhaustive textbased representations as they read. Although there has been a significant amount of research devoted to age-related effects on text processing, there has been little research concerning this so-called shallow processing by older readers. This dissertation uses eye tracking to explore age-related effects in shallow processing across different levels of text representations. Experiment 1 investigated shallow processing by older readers at the textbase level by inserting semantic anomalies into passages read by participants. Older readers frequently failed to report the anomalies, but no more frequently than did younger readers. The eye-fixation behaviour revealed that older readers detected some of the anomalies sooner than did younger readers, but had to allocate disproportionately more processing resources to looking back to the anomalies to achieve comparable levels of detection success as their younger counterparts. Experiment 2 examined age-related effects of shallow processing at the surface form by inserting syntactic anomalies into passages read by older and younger adults. Older readers were less likely to detect syntactic anomalies when first encountering them relative to younger readers and engaged in increased regressive fixations to the anomalies. However, older readers with high iii reading comprehension skill were able to use their familiarity with text content to increase their likelihood of syntactic anomaly detection. Experiment 3 investigated the role of aging on shallow processing of the temporal dimension of the situation model. No age-related differences reporting the anomalies were found. The eye-fixation behaviour revealed that older readers with high working memory capacity detected some anomalies sooner than did younger readers; however, they had to allocate increased processing resources looking back to the anomalies to achieve comparable levels of detection as younger readers. Together, the results demonstrate that older readers are susceptible to shallow processing, but no more so than younger readers when they can rely on their linguistic skill or their existing knowledge to help reduce processing demands. However, older readers appear to require additional processing time to achieve comparable levels of anomaly detection as younger readers.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves [207]-220. / Photocopy. / x, 220 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1986. / Bibliography: leaves 243-252. / Photocopy. / Microfilm. / xiv, 252 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-77). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center