Reading for Understanding
Reading for Understanding
Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension
RAND Reading Study Group
Catherine Snow, Chair
Prepared for the Office of Education Research and Improvement (OERI)
Science & Technology Policy Institute
R
EDUCATION
The research described in this report was prepared for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Snow, Catherine E. Reading for understanding : toward a research and development program in
reading comprehension / Catherine Snow. p. cm.
"MR-1465." Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8330-3105-8 1. Reading comprehension--Research. 2. Reading--Research. I. Title.
LB1050.45 .S57 2002 428.4'3--dc21
2001048905
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PREFACE
One of the most vexing problems facing middle and secondary school teachers today is that many students come into their classrooms without the requisite knowledge, skills, or disposition to read and comprehend the materials placed before them. In an effort to inform the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) on ways to improve the quality and relevance of education research and development, RAND convened 14 experts with a wide range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives in the field of reading. The RAND Reading Study Group (RRSG) was charged with proposing strategic guidelines for a long-term research and development program supporting the improvement of reading comprehension. This report is the product of that group's efforts and of the valuable commentary provided by various members of the reading research and practice communities. This report should be of interest to those involved with the planning of education research and development (R&D) programs by public and private agencies, and it should also be of interest to researchers who study reading instruction and practitioners who teach reading. This report is the first in a series of three RAND reports dealing with the topic of education R&D. The second report, scheduled for draft publication in summer 2002, will propose an R&D program for mathematics education and the third report, scheduled for draft publication in fall 2002, will address R&D management issues. Funding for the RRSG research was provided under a contract with OERI. The research was carried out under the auspices of RAND Education and the Science and Technology Policy Institute (S&TPI), a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed by RAND.
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iv Reading for Understanding
Inquiries regarding RAND Education and the S&TPI may be directed to the following individuals:
Helga Rippen, Director Science and Technology Policy Institute RAND, 1200 South Hayes Street Arlington, VA 22202-5050 (703) 413-1100 x5351 Email: stpi@
Dominic Brewer, Director RAND Education RAND, 1700 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 (310) 393-0411 x7515 Email: education@
CONTENTS
Preface .................................................................................................... iii Figures ..................................................................................................... vii Tables ...................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary .................................................................................. xi Acknowledgments .................................................................................... xxiii RAND Reading Study Group and RAND Staff ............................................. xxv Chapter One
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Study Methodology ............................................................................ 1 Research Challenges ........................................................................... 2 The Issues Motivating This Study ........................................................ 4 Much Is Already Known About Improving Comprehension .................. 8 The Need for a Definition of Reading Comprehension ......................... 9 Chapter Two DEFINING COMPREHENSION ........................................................... 11 The Reader ......................................................................................... 13 The Text ............................................................................................. 14 The Activity ........................................................................................ 15 The Context ....................................................................................... 16 Chapter Three VARIABILITY IN READING COMPREHENSION ................................... 19 Variability in Readers .......................................................................... 19
Sociocultural Influences .................................................................. 20 Group Differences ........................................................................... 21 Inter-Individual Differences ............................................................ 22 Intra-Individual Differences ............................................................ 23 Variability in Text ............................................................................... 24
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