Effects of Expository-Text Structures on Text-Based Interest, Comprehension, and Memory

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of expository-text structures on text interest, comprehension, and memory. Two strategies of structuring expository texts were used: contextualizing and questioning strategies. Students in the sixth and seventh grades participated in two experiments. In the first experiment, a within-subject design was used to investigate the differences in text interest among the different forms of texts. In the second experiment, a between-group design was used to investigate the strategy effects on text comprehension and memory as well as interest. The results of the first experiment showed that expository texts constructed with the two strategies showed significantly higher levels of text interest than the base text. In contrast, the second experiment showed no such significant differences. However, scores on the memory tests and text comprehension were significantly higher in both of the base and questioning-strategy texts than the contextualizing text. The results of the study provided practical implications on how to compose expository texts that are commonly used in schools to enhance students motivation and learning outcomes.