How to teach comparison processing to increase children's short- and long-term listening comprehension monitoring.

Used 192 3rd graders to determine whether (a) training children to compare different parts of text improves detection of text errors and (b) self-controlled training of comparison produces more durable use of the strategy. 24 Ss were assigned to each of 8 conditions: 3 comparison-processing training conditions, 2 minimal-instruction conditions, 1 passive training condition, and 2 control conditions. Ss heard expository passages, some containing explicit errors, and were asked to judge passage sensibility. Results indicate that Ss taught to use a self-instructional routine specifying comparison of the 2 most recently presented sentences with each other and with the rest of the passage monitored comprehension immediately following training and 1 wk later better than did Ss given minimal training. Teaching the 2 types of comparison without self-instruction produced only short-term benefits relative to minimal training alternatives. Results are consistent with E. M. Markman's (see record 1980-03008-001) coactivation hypothesis and with metacognitive theoretical assumptions about how to produce strategy use. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)