Stephen Krashen argues that those who read more know moreWexler (2023) has pointed out that a reader’s background knowledge is a significant predictor of reading proficiency. She concluded that “greater background knowledge of the topic was correlated with better comprehension” and suggested that we “begin to more deliberately teach background knowledge.”While it seems obvious that “deliberate teaching” will build background knowledge, there is another source of knowledge: self-selected pleasure reading. Of great interest: Stanovich and Cunningham also reported that higher grades (grade point average) in secondary school were a very weak predictor of how well the students did on the test of general knowledge. Apparently, the hard study that results in better grades does not result in significant real-world knowledge, but reading popular literature and magazines does. “Dramatic New Evidence That Building Knowledge Can Boost Comprehensionand Close Gaps.” Forbes.

Source: Forbes October 18, 2023 20:47 UTC