Comprehension in a Scenario-Based Assessment: Domain and Topic-Specific Background Knowledge

Reading Comprehension and Academic Vocabulary: Exploring Relations of Item Features and Reading Proficiency

“…The knowledge hypothesis is predicated on the idea that knowing a word entails knowing something about the world and that the more learners know about the world, the better their reading comprehension. For instance, knowledge of domain‐ and topically relevant words predicted improvement in scenario‐based reading measures (McCarthy et al, 2018). Among general academic vocabulary, there may also be words that help students understand the world or the way things can be related to each other.…”

From Considerate to Challenging Texts: A Four‐Tiered Text Approach to Thematic Reading

“…The expansion text presumes a certain level of background knowledge, some of which the students will have acquired from the foundational text. The activation of this background knowledge prepares students to more readily acquire new information based on the building blocks in place (Anderson et al, 1977; ARTICLE Carrell, 1983;Fisher & Frey, 2009;McCarthy et al, 2018). Furthermore, having a familiarity with key vocabulary and phrases introduced in the foundational text may enable students to feel at ease when writing about and discussing the expansion text.…”

Background Knowledge: The Neglected Component in Adult Literacy

“…There are two types of background knowledge: knowledge of the world, which can be informed by personal experience (as in the previous example), and academic knowledge, which is typically developed by reading newspapers, nonfiction, manuals, and textbooks (Spires & Donley, 1998). Regardless of the type of background knowledge, there are also different levels of knowledge: general and specific (McCarthy et al, 2018). For example, consider someone who has only recently arrived in the United States, a person who has acquired only general information about popular U.S. sports.…”

“…Researchers have agreed that both context (provided by the text) and background knowledge are necessary for comprehension (e.g., van Moort, Jolles, Koornneef, & van den Broek, 2020). In fact, research has indicated that background knowledge predicts reading comprehension (e.g., Cromley & Azevedo, 2007; McCarthy et al, 2018; Shapiro, 2004; Talwar, Tighe, & Greenberg, 2018). Background knowledge provides the scaffold and structure necessary to understand text (Kintsch, 1988).…”

“…Background knowledge provides the scaffold and structure necessary to understand text (Kintsch, 1988). As McCarthy and colleagues (2018) explained, background knowledge helps readers understand information more rapidly, more completely, and at a deeper level; helps readers discern the relevant details; and facilitates memory of the material.…”