Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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LEARNING FROM TEXTBOOKS 191

read. In other words, they ask questions like: What is the author

implying? What is the implication of the actions suggested in

the passage? How do these ideas relate to other points of view

on the issue? Poor readers rarely go beyond the written words

in the text.

• Generating questions. Good readers maintain active involve-
  ment by generating questions and attempting to answer them
  while they read. Poor readers tend to be more passive and fail
  to generate such questions.


• Monitoring comprehension. Good readers are not only aware
  of the quality and degree of their understanding but know what
  to do and how to do it when they fail to comprehend material.
  Poor readers fail to monitor their understanding. As a result,
  they frequently rely on others to determine their degree of
  understanding.

The five reading activities just described have an important element

in common. Reading for understanding and remembering requires an

active involvement on the part of the reader. The following exercise pro-

vides an opportunity to evaluate your own reading strategies.

Directions: For each question, place a check in the corresponding box

that best describes the strategies you presently use to complete your

reading assignments. When you have responded to all of the items,

EXERCISE 8.1: SELF-OBSERVATION: ASSESSING

READING STRATEGIES

write a brief summary statement describing what this brief assessment

tells you.

Always Sometimes Never

1. I preview all my text-
   books to review the
   learning aids provided
   by the authors.


2. I preview each chapter
   before I read.


3. I think of questions as
   I read.


4. I underline my
   textbook as I read.

Continued