16
Rubio, A. (2018). Techniques for Learning Scientific Knowledge from Texts,
Investigaciones Sobre Lectura, 10, 1-29.
Number 10
2018 December
Techniques for Learning Scientific Knowledge from
Texts
Alba Rubio Peñarrubia
ERI-Lectura
Universidad de Valencia
Pag. 1 to 29
Abstract:
Keywords
scientific knowledge, text
comprehension, cognitive
process, learning technique,
educational technology
This
study
analyzes
the
efficacy
of
guiding
the
reading
and

learning

of
scientific
knowledge
through
the
technique
of

answering

open-ended
questions
(AOQ)

versus

the

use

of
techniques
that
the
reader
is
responsible
for
understanding
the
text, including self-explanations (SE).
Ninety-one students in the
third year
of
obligatory

secondary

education
were
initially
assessed
on
prior
knowledge
and
then
randomly
assigned
to

experimental

conditions
(SE,
AOQ). The

experimental

phase
was
carried
out
in
an
electronic
environment
and

with

the

available
text.
One

day
later,
the

students
carried out a learning test with open-
ended
text-based
questions
and
situation-model
questions

relating

to

the text. The results showed that the
students

were

less

efficient

in

relation to reading time (M = 914.63;
SD = 245.25), t(61.077) =
-
6.96 , p < .001, and responding time,
(M = 914.75; SD = 361.39), t(69.928)
= -3.44, p = .001. Learning techniques
interact with the development
of
processing strategies, F(1,75) =
28.841, p
<
.001; ηp
2
= .278. The SE focusedthe
student’s
attention
on

the
text
and
on
superficial
cognitive
skills,
such
as
paraphrases
(M

=

10.26;

SD

=

3.18),
t(75) = -5.092, p < .001; however,
AOQ
significantly
encouraged
the
use
of
elaborations
(M

=

6.71;

SD

=

1.72),
t(62.447) = 4.31, p < .001.
These
findings have important theoretical and
applied
implications

in

the

field

of
education, since they clarify theoretical
questions
referring
to
principles
of
teaching-learning
of
complex
declarative
knowledge

(e.g.,

scientific
knowledge)
and,

also,

these

findings
suggest effective instructional practices.
Guiding learning through AOQ favours
efficiency
and
more
complex
comprehension processes.



SE

Received: 04-07-2018
Accepted: 30-11-2018