Overcoming Obstacles to Deep Comprehension of Text: A Continuum of Narrative Comprehension

Abstract

Purpose – The Continuum of Narrative Comprehension has been designed as a framework for thinking about text and for application to the construction of specific comprehension strategies.Design/methodology/approach – This chapter identifies several factors that undermine the teaching of deep comprehension and demonstrates the benefits of identifying underlying themes as a springboard for effective teacher questioning.Findings – This chapter addresses the higher order demands of the Common Core State Standards and the comprehension requirements of international comparison assessments such as PISA and PIRLS.Research limitations/implications – Advancement in reading demands that readers see past the mere details of text and unearth the significance of the author’s ideas in relation to the human condition.Practical implications – The primary resource discussed in the chapter is the Continuum of Narrative Comprehension which serves as a conceptual framework for clinical instructors to analyze text content and ideational complexity.Originality/value of chapter – The Continuum is a tool which can be used as a spur to student discussion but its ultimate value is the promotion of a lifelong view of reading as thoughtful literacy.

Citation

Applegate, M. and Applegate, A. (2013), "Overcoming Obstacles to Deep Comprehension of Text: A Continuum of Narrative Comprehension", Ortlieb, E. and Cheek, E.H. (Ed.) School-Based Interventions for Struggling Readers, K-8 (Literacy Research, Practice and Evaluation, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 183-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2048-0458(2013)0000003013