The Text Structure Strategy for reading comprehension Insights through eye-movement monitoring Li-Hao Yeh, Aaron Baule & Ana I. Schwartz The University of Texas at El Paso

The Text Structure Strategy (TSS) (Meyer, Young, & Bartlett, 1989) Strategy to improve Comprehension Recall How? Use of “signal words” Use of text structure or “plan”

The steps Identify structure/signal words Use structure for comprehension Use structure for recall Example structures Problem/solution Comparison Cause/effect The Text Structure Strategy (TSS) (Meyer, Young, & Bartlett, 1989)

Documented success Over 20 years of testing (e.g., Meyer, Young, & Bartlett, 1989; Meyer & Poon, 2001; Meyer, Talbot, Poon, & Johnson, 2001; Meyer et al ) Various age groups Second language readers English-French bilinguals ESL college students The Text Structure Strategy (TSS) (Meyer, Young, & Bartlett, 1989)

The present study TSS effectiveness primarily shown through Off-line recall of text Only one, global measure (macro level) But, what specific reading behaviors are changed? How?

Eye-movement monitoring How the eyes move reveal underlying cognitive processing Fixations Regressions

The present study Prediction: Eye-movement patterns will reflect increased time/attention/focus to key parts of text Parts that reveal text structure

Methods: Participants Total N = 9 Two groups TSS group N= 4 Education majors (upper-level) Control group N= 5 Psychology majors (first and second- year students)

Methods: Participants Language background Most (8 of the 9) bilingual in Spanish and English Early, simultaneous bilinguals Learning English by age 5 Most report dominance in English, though Spanish acquired first

Methods: Design TSS group Pretest => TSS training => Posttest Control group Pretest => No training => Posttest

Methods: Training Practice identifying structures/plans Variety of authentic materials Practice recalling texts Collaborative work, highly- interactive Homework assignments

Methods: Procedure Pre and Post-test procedures Read article on infectious arthritis while eye- movements monitored Read another article (off of tracker); recall that article Complete Language History Questionnaire Only at Pre-test

Result Off-line Pretest Posttest

Interests areas data: Infectious arthritis refers to the arthritis that some people develop as a complication of another disease caused by a virus, bacterium, or fungus. The infectious agent first causes one disease but then spreads into one or more joints, causing arthritis. For example, one common cause of infectious arthritis is the bacterium that causes gonorrhea. In some people, this bacterium escapes from the genital organs and gets into the bloodstream, which carries it into the joints and leads to arthritis. Drug treatment to get rid of the infection usually clears up the arthritis completely, if it is begun soon after the joint symptoms began. After the swelling has gone down and the infection is gone, some people may need special exercises to rebuild strength in the affected area.

Main sentences data: Infectious arthritis refers to the arthritis that some people develop as a complication of another disease caused by a virus, bacterium, or fungus. The infectious agent first causes one disease but then spreads into one or more joints, causing arthritis. For example, one common cause of infectious arthritis is the bacterium that causes gonorrhea. In some people, this bacterium escapes from the genital organs and gets into the bloodstream, which carries it into the joints and leads to arthritis. Drug treatment to get rid of the infection usually clears up the arthritis completely, if it is begun soon after the joint symptoms began. After the swelling has gone down and the infection is gone, some people may need special exercises to rebuild strength in the affected area.

Conclusions This is the first study demonstrating effects of the TSS through changes in eye-movement patterns Eye-movements More detailed More precise … record of what readers are doing Emerging finding… Effects of training occurring through 2 nd pass reading behaviors