Topic: Problems in Comprehension

10-second review: Reasoning and prior experience are elements in comprehending. But how we use these processes in comprehending is unknown.

Title: “ERIC/RCS: Schemata: An Approach to Understanding Reading Comprehension.” MK Monteith. Journal of Reading (January 1979), 368-371.

Quote: “Reading comprehension remains a most elusive concept. As long as we do not know how it is that we comprehend written passages, we cannot know which instructional methods do the most to promote improved reading comprehension. Thorndike (1973, 1974) has pointed out that reading with comprehension is reasoning and psycholinguists such as Goodman (1973) have emphasized the need for readers to use their experience in making sense of printed work. Yet, how we reason and how we relate what we know to what we read are among the unknowns of comprehension, intelligence or verbal ability.” P. 368.

Comment: Another example of framing the question clearly, but the accompanying article is not much help in answering the question. RayS.