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Levels Of Cultural Familiarity And Strategy Use In Reading Comprehension, Gertrude Tinker Sachs

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

Previous studies have used cross-cultural comparisons to demonstrate the effect of background knowledge on reading comprehension. The present study used a similar approach to study the relations between background knowledge, reading skill and level of use of reading comprehension strategies. Eighty-eight sixth-grade participants in elementary school were equally divided according to reading skill (skilled and less skilled) and country (Bahamas or Canada). Subjects thought aloud while reading culturally familiar and unfamiliar informative texts. Protocols were scored according to the level of strategic action exhibited and according to the condition triggering the action.

The results, while confirming the role of knowledge …