IDENTIFICATION AND RECALL OF STRUCTURALLY IMPORTANT UNITS IN VERBAL DISCOURSE AS A FUNCTION OF THE METACOGNITIVE PROCESSING OF MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

RICHARD L LUFTIG, Purdue University

Abstract

This study investigated the ability of mentally retarded students to judge the structural importance of idea units in prose. In addition, experimental comparisons were made of the relationship between the judgments of importance and the patternings of recall. Sixty-four mentally retarded students ranging in chronological age from 10 to 17 years and in IQ 50 to 73 were randomly assigned to one of five groups. The groups were presented with a passage which contained units differing in levels of structural importance and stimulus saliency. It was hypothesized that the mentally retarded learners would have difficulty in assessing the importance of the ideational units. It was also predicted that the ability to identify important units would be positively related to story recall. The treatment conditions differed as a function of whether students were given advance notice of the later recall task, whether importance ratings were required, and whether emphasis was given to the potential usefulness of the ratings in aiding recall. It was hypothesized that differential task instructions would lead to differential metacognitive functioning as inferred from recall of structurally important units. Analyses of variance indicated that the mentally retarded pupils were significantly better at identifying low and medium importance units than in identifying units of high importance. Analysis also revealed a main effect for the treatment condition. Recall was highest for the group which received advance notice of later recall, made importance ratings, and received strong emphasis on the potential usefulness of importance. Units rated as being high in importance were recalled significantly better by the mentally retarded learners than medium or low importance units. It was concluded that the mentally retarded learners could use the differing importance levels in text to aid in recall provided that the learners were repeatedly instructed to differentiate among such levels. Implications for further research on the comprehension processes of the mentally retarded were discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Educational psychology

COinS