Metacognitive Abilities of Above and below Average Readers: Effects of Conceptual Tempo, Passage Level, and Error Type on Error Detection

A number of researchers have suggested recently that differences between good and poor comprehenders lie in differences in metacognitive skills. This study examines one of the paradigms used to measure metacognitive skill–the error detection task. Seventy-four above and below grade level sixth graders were asked to detect order changes and nonsense word substitutions in third-grade and sixth-grade level passages. It was found that conceptual tempo (impulsivity/reflectivity), passage readability, and error type, as well as reading ability, all influenced the performance of these children on the error detection tasks. No differences were found between above and below average readers on two other metacognitive tasks, a reading difficulty judgment, and a knowledge and purposes of reading interview. Results indicate that conceptual tempo should be considered in any explanation of the relationship between metacognitive monitoring and reading ability.

The Relationship between Conceptual Tempo, Phonological Awareness, and Word Recognition in Beginning Readers

An alternative explanation of the divergent findings appearing in the literature on conceptual tempo and reading acquisition is presented. The discussion yields three hypotheses, which are the focus of the present study: (1) conceptual tempo is related to phonological awareness; (2) the relationship between phonological awareness and reading ability (in beginning readers) is stronger than the relationship between conceptual tempo and reading ability; and (3) conceptual tempo and phonological awareness are differentially related to the recognition of real and synthetic words. Thirty-seven first grade children were individually administered tests of verbal intelligence, conceptual tempo, phonological awareness, and reading ability. The data indicate that phonological awareness is significantly correlated with conceptual tempo, that phonological awareness is related to synthetic word recognition, and that synthetic word recognition is highly correlated with real word recognition. The results are explained in terms of a model of reading acquisition that emphasizes the role of metalinguistic abilities in learning to read.