The comprehension of coherence relations in expository texts at the age of 10 and 12
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Angelika Becker
Abstract
The ability to understand coherence relations like cause/result between parts of texts is crucial for the comprehension of texts. The present study investigates how well students of grade 4 and grade 6 manage the construction of coherence in expository texts. Performance differences in comprehending additive, causal, contrastive, and temporal anteriority relations suggest a specific line of development: After an early phase which does not show significant differences in dealing with the four relations, there is first progress in constructing causal relations and, after a short delay, in constructing adversative relations. The performance concerning additive and temporal anteriority relations remains on a comparatively low level. What seems to be crucial for the developmental progress is the relevance of relations for the meaning of the text and - especially for temporal anteriority relations - the sequence of propositions. Not all text recipients profit from the presence of connectives to the same degree, least of all weak readers.
Abstract
The ability to understand coherence relations like cause/result between parts of texts is crucial for the comprehension of texts. The present study investigates how well students of grade 4 and grade 6 manage the construction of coherence in expository texts. Performance differences in comprehending additive, causal, contrastive, and temporal anteriority relations suggest a specific line of development: After an early phase which does not show significant differences in dealing with the four relations, there is first progress in constructing causal relations and, after a short delay, in constructing adversative relations. The performance concerning additive and temporal anteriority relations remains on a comparatively low level. What seems to be crucial for the developmental progress is the relevance of relations for the meaning of the text and - especially for temporal anteriority relations - the sequence of propositions. Not all text recipients profit from the presence of connectives to the same degree, least of all weak readers.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1: Relational coherence
- The comprehension of coherence relations in expository texts at the age of 10 and 12 11
- Short sentences, easy to read? Effects of connectives and layout on text comprehension by beginning readers 41
- Explicit coherence relations in children’s and adults’ spoken narratives: the importance of und for the acquisition of German connectives 57
-
Part 2: Referential coherence
- Text organization in typically developing bilinguals and bilinguals at risk of DLD: what is different and how language independent is it? 85
- Referential coherence: Children’s understanding of pronoun anaphora. Insights from mono- and bilingual language acquisition 105
- Reference in French and German: A developmental perspective 139
- The use of pronouns as a developmental factor in early Russian language acquisition 171
- Index 207
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1: Relational coherence
- The comprehension of coherence relations in expository texts at the age of 10 and 12 11
- Short sentences, easy to read? Effects of connectives and layout on text comprehension by beginning readers 41
- Explicit coherence relations in children’s and adults’ spoken narratives: the importance of und for the acquisition of German connectives 57
-
Part 2: Referential coherence
- Text organization in typically developing bilinguals and bilinguals at risk of DLD: what is different and how language independent is it? 85
- Referential coherence: Children’s understanding of pronoun anaphora. Insights from mono- and bilingual language acquisition 105
- Reference in French and German: A developmental perspective 139
- The use of pronouns as a developmental factor in early Russian language acquisition 171
- Index 207
