Abstract
This dissertation reports on experimental research into the effects of text- and reader- characteristics on text comprehension and text appreciation of less-skilled readers of the vmbo (Dutch Prevocational Education) for their study texts at school. In the first study we investigated to what extent the common assumption that vmbo-pupils have
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a negative reading motivation and reading attitude is true. In the second study we examined to what extent the reading attitude of vmbo-pupils affects their comprehension skills. The results show no causal effect between reading attitude and text comprehension scores. Pupils do not become better readers if they like reading, and a good comprehension of study texts does not lead to a better reading attitude. In the third study, we reported an empirical study of the effects of integrating structure characteristics in the text comprehension and appreciation of vmbo-pupils. We used eight experimental texts which we based on the real study texts from the vmbo-study books. We constructed two versions of each text: one fragmentized (without connectives and structure signals and with each sentence starting on a new line) and one integrated version (with connectives, structure signals and integrated sentences). The content of the text was kept constant in both versions. A large group (582) of pupils of the vmbo had to read three text versions of different texts and they answered appreciation questions and three different types of comprehension questions. The results show that vmbo-pupils score higher on comprehension questions after reading an integrated text than after reading a fragmentized text. The results do not show an influence of text manipulation on text appreciation. In the fourth study, we examined the effect of identification increasing characteristics (the presence of a (fictive) person, the description of emotions these persons have, a personal point of view (eye-witness), and use of the present tense) in the text comprehension and the text appreciations of vmbo-pupils. We constructed an reading experiment with eight texts, all based on real study texts. For each text we constructed two versions, a formal version and an identification version. Vmbo-pupils had to read three different text versions and they answered appreciation and comprehension questions. The results show that vmbo-pupils score higher on comprehension questions after reading a formal text than after reading a text with identification increasing characteristics. The results also show that vmbo-pupils appreciate a text with identification increasing characteristics more. In a second reading experiment we predicted an interaction effect between integrating structure characteristics and identification increasing characteristics. The results do not point towards an interaction between style and structure characteristics. In a third experiment we examined to what extent the characteristics point of view and narrative time (use of past or present tense) attribute to the effects we found for identification increasing characteristics. The results show no effect of point of view and narrative time on text comprehension. However, we do find an effect on appreciation: pupils are most appreciative of texts that are set up in the past tense with an eye-witness point of view.
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