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The validity of reading comprehension therapy materials
1Department of Hearing and Speech, School of Allied Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7605, USA.
Journal of Communication Disorders
|May 1, 1997
Summary
This study found that many reading comprehension questions in aphasia therapy materials can be answered without reading the text, suggesting they may not accurately measure reading comprehension. This highlights a need for improved assessment methods in therapy materials.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Reading comprehension is a critical cognitive function often impaired in individuals with aphasia.
- Aphasia therapy materials aim to improve reading comprehension but their efficacy in accurately measuring this skill requires evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the validity of reading comprehension therapy materials in measuring actual reading comprehension.
- To determine the extent to which participants could answer questions without reading the provided text.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-six older adults (55-75 years) without brain damage participated.
- Participants answered multiple-choice questions from aphasia therapy workbooks before and after reading related paragraphs.
- Forty paragraphs and associated questions from four different workbook sets were used.
Main Results:
- Participants answered 24% to 49% more questions correctly after reading the paragraphs.
- Performance significantly improved post-reading, indicating questions were not solely reliant on prior knowledge.
- However, a substantial number of questions (at least half from 32/40 paragraphs) were answered at above-chance levels without reading.
Conclusions:
- Current reading comprehension therapy materials may not effectively measure reading comprehension as they contain questions answerable without text engagement.
- Therapy materials should be revised to ensure questions accurately reflect comprehension of the provided material.
- Further research is needed to develop and validate more effective reading comprehension assessment tools for aphasia therapy.