Summarizing expository text and the relationship to verbal ability and reading skills
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21348532 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessica Chan (0000-0001-6913-6174, Okanagan School of Education, Faculty of Education, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, corresponding author), Miao Li (0000-0003-3258-0946, University of Houston), Hélène Deacon (0000-0002-4792-5137, Dalhousie University), John Kirby (0000-0002-8874-1641, Queen's University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 119 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 118-128 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Educational Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0671 • E-ISSN: 1940-0675 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00220671.2025.2523038 |
| OpenAlex | W4412037697 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
Text summarization involves selecting important information from a text, while ignoring unimportant information, to construct a coherent representation similar to a situation model. This study examined text-absent summaries written by 134 English-speaking Canadian Grade 5 students, and their language and reading abilities. Summaries were analyzed in terms of themes, main ideas, important details, and unimportant details. Cluster analysis indicated three clusters: one focused on themes and important details, another focused on main ideas and important details, and a third included fewer of all these types of propositions. The clusters differed significantly on summary measures and verbal ability. After covarying the effect of verbal ability, differences remained for main ideas, important details, and summary depth. Marginal differences remained in text reading speed and reading comprehension. These results show relations between summarization and reading ability, pointing to the possibility that explicit instruction in summary writing would benefit upper elementary students
Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Reading (process) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning
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| Highly cited | No |
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