<Wrestles with the option meaning. Skips unknown words in Option A and D.> I forget what Options A and D mean. So I skip them first. <Reads Option B.
Selects Option B.> I select Option B because health is related to the topic of the passage.” (M1, P4, Q55, IA)
Among the low achievers, two of whom successfully answered the question, the
most prevalent strategies in response to the questions asking for the vocabulary in
context were: (T5) reading the question and then reading a portion of the passage to
look for clues to the answer, either before or while considering options; (T10)
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considering the options and checking the vocabulary option in context; (T20) looking
at the vocabulary item and locating the item in context; (T4) reading the question and
considering the options before going back to the passage; (T28) discarding options
based on vocabulary, sentence, paragraph, or passage overall meaning. The other
popular strategies include: (R6) reading a portion of the passage carefully; (T11)
considering the options and focusing on a familiar option; (T13) considering the
options and defining the vocabulary option; (T17) considering the options and
wrestling with the option meaning.
The top most prevalent strategies among the low achievers in response to the
question asking for vocabulary in context, i.e., T5, T10, T20, T4, T28, were also the
most frequently used strategies among the high achieves and the average achievers.
On the other hand, two most prevalent strategies among the high achievers, R28 and
T22, were less frequently used by the low achievers. As for the two low achievers
who successfully responded to the question, one manipulated the response strategies
as expected, the other manipulated several other strategies while considering the
options and finally making an educated guess while selecting one between two
options. Below illustrates their use of strategies in response to Q55:
T5, R6, R9, T20, T10, R28, T28, T22: <Reads the question. Goes back to the passage.
Reads the last sentence in the third paragraph. Paraphrases the sentence.> “I read the last sentence to look for the clues to the answer. By exposing young
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children to erratic dieting habits, parents may be putting them at risk for eating disorders. According to the latter part of the sentence, parents may be putting them at risk for eating disorders, parents may put their children under the risk of eating disorder. <Reads the options. Checks the vocabulary options in
context. Discards Options A, B, and C. Selects Option D.> So the former part of the sentence is supposed to describe inappropriate dieting habits. Yes, exposing…dieting habits…Umm…The word erratic should mean inappropriate.
I also consider the other options and check them in context. But none of them fits in meaning. So I select Option D.” (L2, P4, Q55, CA)
T17, T29: <Reads the question and the options. Wrestles with the option meaning.> “I hardly understand the meaning of the options. I need more time to think about it. <Postpones consideration of the question.> So I read the next
question first and then come back to this question later.” (L5, P4, Q55, CA)
T5, R6, R9, R28, T20, T13, T10, T28, T17, T18: <Reads the question and the options.
Goes back to the passage.> “I don’t know about the word in this question and the options. So I make a guess. Since the question asks about the meaning of the word erratic, I go back to the passage and read the sentence with the word erratic. <Reads the last sentence. Translates the words.> By exposing young children to this dieting habit. <Reads the sentence preceding the target sentence. Paraphrases the sentence.> In the previous sentence, the child said to his father, “You fix food but you don’t eat it.” He told his father not to do it.
In this way, children may learn from their parents not to eat the food. Erratic means developing a certain kind of habit. But I don’t recognize the options.
So I probably make a guess. <Reads the options. Defines Options B and C.
Checks Options B and C in context. Discards Options B and C.> Option B is healthful, and it does not fit the context here. As for Option C, honest means honest, so dishonest means dishonest. It does not fit the context, either. So I discard Options B and C because they do not look like the correct answers when put in the sentence. <Reads Options A and D. Wrestles with option meaning.> I learned these words before but somehow I just do not recognize them now. <Makes an educated guess.> So I count the number of responses for Options A and D. Since the number of my responses for Option D is smaller, I select Option D here.” (L5, P4, Q55, CA)
Meanwhile, the T11 and T17 strategies, which were not found in the verbal
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reports of the high achievers, were found to be used by half of the low achievers.
Showing difficulty comprehending the sentence and the option meaning, most of the
low achievers manipulated several other response strategies while responding to the
question, including the ones which were not used by any of the high achievers: (T18)
making an educated guess; (TW4) selecting the option because it appears to have a
word or phrase associated with the topic of the passage; (R12) rereading to clarify the
idea during reading; (T23) selecting option through elimination of other options as
unreasonable based on background knowledge; (TW1) using the process of
elimination. Below illustrates some use of strategies drawn from the verbal reports of
the low achievers:
T5, T20, R6, T17, T11, T13, T10, TW4: <Reads the question. Goes back to the passage. Reads the last sentence.> “The question asks for the meaning of the word, erratic, so I go back to the passage. <Reads the options. Wrestles with option meaning. Focuses on a familiar vocabulary option. Defines the option meaning. Checks the option in context.> Of all the options, I know only Option B, healthful, which means healthful. Since the word erratic appears in the concluding sentence of the passage, I think it means that children should eat healthful food. <Discards Options A, C, and D. Selects Option B.> Since I don’t know about the other options, and Option B makes sense in the sentence, I select Option B.” (L1, P4, A55, IA)
T5, T20, R6, T10, T28, T17, TW1: <Reads the question. Goes back to the passage.
Reads the last sentence.> “The question asks for the meaning of the
highlighted word, so I go back to the passage and read the sentence with the word. <Reads the options. Checks Options B and C in context. Discards Options B and C.> I recognize Options B and C. Both words were obviously incorrect answers because they do not fit the context in meaning when put in the sentence. So I discard them first. <Considers Options A and C. Wrestles with
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the option meaning.> I recognized Option A before but I don’t remember its meaning now. As for Option D, I remember seeing it before, but I really don’t know about its meaning. <Selects Option A through elimination.>
Somehow I don’t think Option D is right. I don’t know. It just does not look like the correct answer. So I select Option A.” (L4, P4, A55, IA)
In response to the question asking for vocabulary in context, Q55, there showed
a consistency in the most prevalent strategies among the participants. The participants
generally read the question, went back to the passage, located the vocabulary item and
checked the vocabulary option in context. However, two of the most prevalent
response strategies among the high achievers, R28 and T22, were less frequently used
among the average achievers and the low achievers. Half of the average achievers and
most of the low achievers, who showed more difficulty comprehending the option
meaning, used a variety of response strategies while considering the options.
Response Strategies for Questions on a Specific Detail
In response to questions asking for a specific detail of the passage, i.e., Q42 and
Q46, most of the participants read the question, went back to the passage, and read a
portion of the passage carefully looking for the clues. Table 19 presents the
participants’ use of strategies in response to the two questions asking for a specific
detail of the passage, in order of occurrence and frequency.
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Table 19
Response Strategies for Questions on a Specific Detail
Note. a S = strategy; b O = occurrence; c FR = frequency rate. The frequency rate here is the total occurrences of a strategy divided by the total number of group participants and the total number of 2 reading comprehension items (total: 6x2=12).
Three strategies were prevalent among three groups of participants: (R6)
reading a portion of the passage carefully; (T4) reading the question and considering High Achievers Average achievers Low Achievers
Sa Ob FRc S O FR S O FR
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the options before going back to the passage; (T5) reading the question and then
reading a portion of the passage to look for clues to the answer. After reading the
portion of the passage referred to by the question, the high achievers usually produced
own answer and selected the option through textual meaning. The average achievers
and the low achievers, however, rarely predicted own answer and selected the option
more through key word matching than through textual meaning.
All of the high achievers successfully responded to both questions. The most
popular response strategies include: (R6) reading a portion of the passage carefully,
with occurrences at a frequency rate of 1.00; (T22) selecting options through
vocabulary, sentence, paragraph, or passage overall meaning, with occurrences at a
high frequency rate of 0.92; (T5) reading the question and then reading a portion of
the passage to look for clues to the answer, either before or while considering options,
with occurrences at a frequency rate of 0.75; (T6) predicting or producing own answer
after reading the portion of the text referred to by the question, with occurrences at a
frequency rate of 0.75; (T4) reading the question and considering the options before
going back to the passage, with occurrences at a frequency rate of 0.67. Below
illustrates the use of the strategies drawn from the verbal reports of the high achievers
in response to the questions asking for specific information of the passage, i.e., Q42
and Q46:
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T5, R6, R9, T6, T28, T22: <Reads the question. Reads the options.> “Where is Eleanor’s letter sent to? <Reads the closing of the passage.> Eleanor’s
letter…She wrote the letter as her name appears at the bottom of the letter.
So I go back to the passage looking for the clue. The addressee is supposed to be in the beginning of the passage. <Reads the first paragraph carefully.
Paraphrases the first sentence.> Both Why Bother Magazine and International Institute of Not Doing Much appear in the first paragraph. But I notice the word forwarded so I know Why Bother Magazine forwarded the letter.
<Predicts the answer.> She’s definitely writing to this organization, The International Institute of Not Doing Much. <Reads the options. Discards Option A. Selects Option D.> So I select Option D.” (H2, P1, Q42, CA)
T4, R6, R30, T6, T22: <Reads the question before reading the passage.> “I read the questions first so that I know what to focus while reading... <Reads the passage...Reads the target sentence carefully. Uses knowledge of the world.
Predicts the answer.> … All of us think The International Institute of Not Doing Much is the best organization in the world. As I read this complimentary
sentence, I know the letter is sent to it. <Reads the options. Selects Option D.>