See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/261830300

Strategic Training for Using Text Headings to Improve Students' Processing of

Content

Article in Journal of Reading · January 1993

DOI: 10.2307/40016468

CITATIONS READS
14 687

1 author:

Rachel Grant
City University of New York - College of Staten Island
23 PUBLICATIONS 329 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Rachel Grant on 08 November 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Strategic Training for Using Text Headings to Improve Students' Processing of Content
Author(s): Rachel Grant
Source: Journal of Reading, Vol. 36, No. 6 (Mar., 1993), pp. 482-488
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40016468
Accessed: 17-03-2016 00:44 UTC

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Wiley and International Reading Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal
of Reading.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Rachel Grant ^H Underprepared students comprise a growing
number of those who enter community colleges
and 4-year postsecondary institutions in the U.S.
(Hennessey 1990). Many emerge from high school
programs that have emphasized information
acquisition. As a result, these at-risk readers are defi-
cient in strategy knowledge, inadequate in under-
standing of when and how to use particular
strategies, or lack motivation to use them (Kletzien &
Bednar, 1 990). Consequently, they are limited in their
ability to read and learn from content courses, but
because college students spend vast amounts of
time reading different types of text, efficient and
effective comprehension during content reading is
critical.
Improving readers' text process-
ing strategies can also improve
their comprehension of content.

Strategic training for

This article presents a strategy
training framework for helping at-
risk college-age students use text

using text headings headings to improve comprehen-

sion. The rationale for this strategy

to improve students'
is based upon current research,
and suggestions are offered to en-
hance acquisition of the strategy by

processing of high-risk learners.

Background on text headings

content Numerous studies suggest that the
inclusion of signals such as titles,
headings, subheads, and typo-
graphical cues in written text facili-
tates comprehension- as examples
I might mention just the work of Bransford and John-
Use the SCROL strategy to
son (1972), Dee-Lucas and DiVesta (1980), Glynn
show at-risk college students (1978), Loman and Mayer (1983), Lorch (1989), and
how to use text headings to Spyridakis and Standal (1987). Here I want to focus
on headings, which are among the signaling devices
improve their reading and
frequently used in expository textbooks. Tfextbook
learning from content area headings are generally considered to be noncontent
texts. words, phrases, or clauses that announce informa-
tion contained in upcoming text segments.
There are several ways in which headings may facil-
itate text processing. They may aid readers by:
(a) activating schema and triggering prior knowl-
edge (Holley, 1979; Wilhite. 1986, 1988, 1989),

Copyright © 1993
International Reading Association
482 Journal of Reading 36:6 March 1993 7031 -461 0/93/US$1 .25 + .00

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Figure 1
Summary of the SCROL procedure

Here are the steps to be included in the SCROL procedure for using text headings to help understand, remember, and locate
information. Conduct Steps 3-5 for one heading segment (the heading and the text that follows it) at a time. Then move to the
next heading segment.
1 . Survey the headings: In the assigned text selection, read each heading and its subheadings. For each heading and
subheading, try to answer the following questions: "What do I already know about this topic? What information might the
writer present?"
2. Connect: After reading all of the headings and subheadings in the selection, ask yourself "How do the headings relate
to one another?" Write down key words from the headings that might provide connections between the headings.
3. Read the text: Now, go back to the first heading segment and begin reading the text. Remember that headings may
provide clues to important information in the text. As you read each segment, look for words and phrases that express
important information about the heading. As you read, feel free to mark the text (underline, highlight, make notes in the
margin) to point out important ideas and details. Before moving to the next heading segment, stop to make sure that you under-
stand the major ideas and supporting details. If you did not understand, reread.
4. Outline: Using indentations to reflect structure, outline the major ideas and supporting details in the heading segment.
Write the heading and then try to outline each heading segment without looking back to the text.
5. Look Back: Now, look back to the text and check the accuracy of the major ideas and details you wrote. Correct any
inaccurate information in your outline. If you marked the text as you read, use this information to help you to verify the
accuracy of your outline.

(b) accentuating relationships among concepts
(Kozminsky, 1977; Lee, 1965),
(c) providing content cues for retrieval of infor-
mation (Brooks, Dansereau, Spurlin, & Holley,
1983; Dooling & Mullet, 1973; Hartley &
Thieman. 1983, 1985; Holley, 1979; Holley
Dansereau, Evans, Collins, Brooks, & Larsen,
1981; Rickards, 1975-76), and
(d) providing motivational appeal for reading, es-
pecially long, difficult texts (Hvistendahl,
1968).
How do readers use headings?
In spite of the frequency with which headings appear
in text, little is known about precisely how at-risk
readers use these signaling devices to understand
and remember information, although the results of
one study by Grant and Davey (1991) may provide
some insights. These findings indicated that, overall,
at-risk college students (a) were aware of the pres-
ence of headings, (b) were able to recall headings
from memory, and (c) used headings to locate text in-
formation that they comprehended. However, many
of these readers did not appear to use headings to
encode information; their overall text comprehension
was not affected by the mere presence of headings.
If readers already do direct some attention to
headings as they read, but do not actively use them
to better comprehend complex texts, strategy train-
ing in the use of headings might be desirable. More-
over, because studies have shown that skilled
readers benefit more than do less-skilled readers
from the mere presence of headings in text (Hartley,
Kenely, Owen, & Thieman, 1980; Hartley & Thieman,
1983, 1985), strategy training in the use of headings
may be of special benefit for at-risk readers.
Background on heading training
Holley and his colleagues (Brooks et al., 1983;
Holley, 1979; Holley et al., 1981) conducted a series
of studies which assessed the effects of training
in the use of headings to improve processing of
complex text materials. In the Brooks et al. study,
students used a checklist of cognitive activities while
studying. This checklist asked them to: (a) develop
expectations based on headings, (b) attempt to un-
derstand why the headings were appropriate for
each segment, (c) memorize the headings, and (d)
practice using headings as recall aids.
Instructing students to use text headings as study
aids did appear beneficial. A primary effect was that
the readers became sensitized to the presence of
headings in text. However, readers need time to inte-
grate new strategies into their existing techniques,
and Holley et al. stated that students may need a rel-
atively intensive program to help them accomplish
this goal.

Strategic training for using text headings 483

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Figure 2
Excerpt from an American college text on psychology used with SCROL

Affective disorders and gender

Affective disorders are among the most prevalent of mental-health problems in Western societies. Using DSM-1II criteria,
a recent investigation found that over the course of a lifetime, 8 to 12 percent of men and 20 to 26 percent of women
experience a major depressive episode. The rates for manic episodes are much lower, in the range of about 1 percent for both
sexes.... Why depression occurs more frequently for women than for men is not well understood, but the difference may
involve some combination of differing biological vulnerabilities, exposure to certain types of stressful life events, or modes of
coping with stress....
Emotional indicators of depression
Severely depressed people tend to regard the past as a series of failures, the present as devoid of interest and the future
as hopeless. They may cry easily, and frequently, speak and move about slowly, and wear a sorrowful expression. At times they
may feel tense and restless and attempt to discharge these feelings by wringing their hands, pacing, or complaining- a
syndrome called agitated depression.
In depression, self-esteem is low. Depressed people may feel guilty over real or imagined past misdeeds and regard
themselves as entirely worthless human beings. At times these feelings may develop into delusions, which are false beliefs
held with great conviction in the absence of objective evidence. For example, depressed people may believe that God or the
devil is punishing them for their sins or that they are solely responsible for evil in the world.

From Psychology (2nd ed.) by A.B. Crider, G.R. Goethals, R.D. Kavanaugh, and P.R. Solomon and copyright ® 1986. Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins
Publishers.

The SCROL instructional sequence
The strategy presented here is called SCROL (Survey,
Connect, Read, Outline, Lookback). It is summarized
in Figure 1 . It represents a compilation of proce-
dures that have been suggested in the research just
mentioned, incorporating other findings on how at-
risk readers may use headings in text (Grant & Davey,
1991). Although this strategy especially targets at-
risk college students, it could be a valuable tool for
middle school and secondary students.
Tb begin, note that headings vary considerably, for
textbook writers use different types of headings (gist
statements, titles, and key words) and the informa-
tion in textbooks varies in length and complexity. Of-
ten subheadings will demarcate subsections and
convey content. Consequently, teachers should pre-
view carefully the textbook passages selected for
use with the SCROL procedure.
Students will need to know: (a) how to use major
headings and subheadings in the chosen material,
(b) how to deal with text-signaling devices such as
overviews or summaries, and (c) how to make adjust-
ments in the SCROL procedure when a passage is
especially long and complex.
I recommend strategy training through explicit di-
rect instruction, since it provides a practical and effi-
cient method for improving the text processing skills
of at-risk students in the college setting (Mealey,
1990). With direct instruction, teachers will (a)
describe the strategy, (b) model its effective use
with relevant materials, and (c) provide suggestions
to readers that help them to self-monitor their
performance.
Strategy information. In this first step, the
teacher demonstrates the strategy, telling students
why and when the strategy would be helpful: (1) The
SCROL procedure may be used to help understand,
remember, and locate information in text that is
lengthy and complex, and (2) SCROL is practical
when the headings are informative, that is, when
headings contain information about the text.
During this preliminary step, students should be
told that headings may help a reader to (a) store in-
formation in memory, (b) locate information during
postreading tasks, and (c) remember information. In
addition, the outlines developed during Step 4 can
provide useful review aids when preparing for tests.
During this stage of training, teachers might also
encourage students to discuss ways in which they
currently use text headings to learn and remember
information in text.
Modeling. After reviewing each step of the
SCROL procedure with the class by using a portion
of text on the topic currently being covered, teachers

484 Journal of Reading 36:6 March 1993

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
can demonstrate how to implement the strategy. In
the following example of teacher modeling, the
SCROL procedure is introduced with a passage from
a text in psychology (see Figure 2). This passage may
be on handout sheets or displayed using an over-
head projector.
Step. 1: Survey. The teacher begins by modeling
how a reader might think about the headings. "The
first heading is Affective disorders and gender. I know that
both men and women experience affective disor-
ders. The writer will probably talk about which group
experiences more disorders and the different types
of disorders affecting men and women. The second
heading is Emotional indicators of depression. I know that
people withdraw when they are depressed. The
writer will probably talk about how people act when
they are depressed: '
Step 2: Connect The teacher again models think-
ing about the headings. "Both headings in this pas-
sage are related to affective disorders. Depression is
probably an affective disorder. There are emotional
signs of depression. In the first heading the word gen-
der is used. Perhaps men and women suffer from dif-
ferent types of depression. Okay the key words that
connect the two heading segments appear to be: af-
fective disorders, depression, emotional indicators, and gender'.'
The teacher should write out these words on the
chalkboard or overhead projector.
Step 3: Read. The teacher reads the first segment
aloud as the students read silently. While reading,
the teacher continues to think aloud in order to iden-
tify the major ideas and supporting details.
"Depression is an affective disorder. The passage
does not support my belief that men and women
suffer from different types of depression. According
to the passage, both men and women appear to suf-
fer from the same types of depression. In addition,
women suffer higher rates of depressive episodes
than do men. The passage states that scientists don't
understand why women have higher rates."
Now, the teacher goes back and underlines the
text, thinking aloud. "The important ideas are most
prevalent mental-health problem and occurs more frequently
for women. The important detail is difference may
involve some combination of differing biological vulnerabilities'.'
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Step 4: Outline. The teacher says, "Now I'm go-
ing to write the heading and then write the ideas and
details from memory," and does so, thinking aloud
while writing on the chalkboard or overhead.
'The important information in this heading segment is:
A. Both men and women experience affective disor-
ders.
1 . For unknown reasons, women experience disor-
ders more than do men."
Step 5: Look back. The teacher says, "Now, I'll
check this first passage to see if the information I re-
membered for the first heading segment is correct."
At this point, the teacher repeats the modeling, us-
ing Steps 3-5 for the second heading segment.
Step 3: Read repeated. Again, the teacher reads
aloud, as students read silently. The teacher con-
tinues to think aloud.
"There are many different indicators of depres-
sion. Depressed people have low self-esteem. They
really see themselves as failures. Now let's go back
and underline the text. The important information is
regard the past as series of failures, present devoid of interest,
future hopeless, feel tense, wringing hands, pacing, and self-
esteem is low'.'
Step 4: Outline repeated. "Now I'll outline the text
segment. First I'll write the heading. Then I'll write
the important information from memory.
A. Depressed people use many emotions to display de-
pression.
1 . Display of depression often includes pacing, sor-
row, restlessness, hopelessness, and sense of failure.
B. Many depressed people suffer from lack of self-
esteem.
"That should do it."
Step 5: Look back repeated. "But I need to make
sure, so now I'll check the passage to see if my infor-
mation for this segment is correct."
After modeling the SCROL procedure in this man-
ner, teachers would answer questions that students
have and review both why and when to use the strat-
egy, namely to pinpoint information in complex text
whenever the author's headings are informative.
The next phase in the instructional sequence is in-
tended to help students move towards indepen-
dence in using the strategy.
Group practice. The teacher would identify 3-4
heading segments in the course textbook used in
that class or another class that the students are tak-
Strategic training for using text headings 485
During modeling of the strategy, the instructor verbalizes thinking and writes keywords on the chalkboard or overhead projector.
Photo by Laima Druskis

ing, so that groups of 2-3 students can practice the
strategy together. Thinking out loud to the small
group, each student would conduct the SCROL pro-
cedure with one heading segment. Members of the
group would comment on the individual think
alouds and how best to apply the steps in the
SCROL strategy.
Before group practice begins, teachers should help
group members establish guidelines for making
comments about each other's think alouds. For exam-
ple: Think alouds comments about important infor-
mation (major idea and detail) need not be verbatim
but may be paraphrased or summarized; during read-
ing, underlining should be limited to the important
words and phrases, and outlines should contain com-
plete thoughts, if not complete sentences.
The group application stage will help students gain
confidence by allowing for sufficient practice using
the strategy in a relatively nonthreatening setting. In
addition, the comments of group members will help
students to refine their skills in identifying important
information. Some students may need more than
one group practice session to achieve this goal.
Independent practice. This final phase will help
students to move to independent use of the SCROL
procedure. The goal is that students become inde-
pendent in their use of headings to learn, remember,
and locate information in text.
Again, .teachers would identify heading segments
in the course textbook. On their own, students
would implement the SCROL procedure. If neces-
sary, teachers might help those who are not yet com-

486 Journal of Reading 36:6 March 1993

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
fortable with the strategy by asking probing
questions and having them retell the text. During this
stage, teachers might encourage students to develop
their own checklist for self-monitoring their use of
the procedure.
Tb judge from informal evaluations where SCROL
has been used, students need independent practice
experience with at least three different heading seg-
ments before efficient use of the SCROL strategy can
begin.
Practical teaching suggestions
The following suggestions are helpful in training stu-
dents in the SCROL procedure.
(1) Demonstrate for students how the SCROL pro-
cedure can be adjusted to accommodate variations
in the length, difficulty, and structure of textbook in-
formation. For example, when heading segments
contain more than four paragraphs, students might
read the first and last sentence of the paragraph to
help them establish connections between the head-
ings. In order to become competent comprehen-
ders, at-risk readers need to make applications of
strategies to unique situations, extending or adjust-
ing the strategy to accommodate different text
(Duffy etal., 1987).
(2) Allow sufficient time to master the strategy. Be-
cause students are expected to use the SCROL pro-
cedure to read and learn from content courses, they
need time to discuss the strategy, observe their
teacher modeling it, interact with peers trying out
the strategy, and receive feedback about their
attempts.
Strategic training instruction for students at-risk is
a practical and effective way to help these students
see themselves as learners. My work with at-risk stu-
dents suggests that the type of explicit direct instruc-
tion presented here provides a useful starting point
for minimizing the many differences between skilled
and less skilled learners. With sufficient practice us-
ing SCROL, students become more aware that text
features may help them understand, remember, and
locate information in their textbooks. SCROL should
be viewed as strategic training that helps students
establish plans for dealing with difficult text. In short,
Lee. w. (1965). Supra-paragraph prose structure: Its specifica-
it can help to develop mature independent content
area textbook readers.
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Grant teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park. She
can be contacted there at the College of Education, Department
of Curriculum and Instruction-Reading Center, College Park
MD 20742, USA.
References
Bransford. J.D., & Johnson, M.K. (1972). Contextual prerequi-
sites for understanding of comprehension and recall, journal
of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11,71 7-726.
Brooks, L.W., Dansereau, D.F., Spurlin, I.E., & Holley. CD.
(1983). Effects of headings on text processing, journal of Edu-
cational Psychology, 75, 292-302.
Dee-Lucas, D., & Di Vesta, F.j. (1980). Learner-generated organi-
zational aids: Effects on learning from text, journal of Educa-
tional Psychology, 72, 304-3 1 1 .
Dooling, D.J.. & Mullet, R.L. (1973). Locus of thematic effects in
retention of prose, journal of Experimental Psychology, 97, 404-
406.
Duffy, G.G., Roehler, L.R., Sivan, E., Rackliffe, G., Book. C,
Meloth, M.S., Vavrus, L.G., Wesselman, R., Putnam, J., &
Bassiri, D. (1987). Effects of explaining the reasoning associ-
ated with using reading strategies. Reading Research Quarterly,
22, 347-368.
Glynn, S.M. (1978). Capturing attention by means of typo-
graphical cuing strategies. Educational Technology, 18, 7-12.
Grant, R., & Davey, B. ( 1 99 1 ). How do headings affect text proc-
essing? Reading Research and Instruction, 31, 12-21.
Hartley. J.. Kenely, J., Owen. G., & Trueman. M. (1980). The ef-
fects of headings on children's recall from prose text. British
journal of Educational Psychology, 50. 304-307.
Hartley, J., & TYueman, M. (1983). The effects of heading in text
on recall, search, and retrieval. British journal of Educational Psy-
chology, 53,205-214.
Hartley. ].. & Trueman. M. (1985). A research strategy for text
designers: The role of headings. Instructional Science, 14, 99-
115.
Hennessey, J.H. ( 1 990). At-risk community college students and
a reading improvement course: A longitudinal study, journal
of Reading, 34, 114-120.
Holley, CD. (1979). An evaluation of intact and embedded headings as
schema cueing devices with nonnarrative text. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation. Texas Christian University, Fort Worth.
Holley, CD., Dansereau, D.F., Evans, S.H.. Collins, K.W.,
Brooks, L. & Larson, D. (1981). Utilizing intact and embed-
ded headings as processing aids with nonnarrative text. Con-
temporary Educational Psychology, 6, 227-236.
Hvistendahl, J.K. (1968). The effects of subheads on reader
comprehension, journal Quarterly, 45. 123-125.
Kletzien. S.B., & Bednar, M.R. (1990). Dynamic assessment for
at-risk readers, journal of Reading, 34. 528-533.
Kozminsky. E. (1977). Altering effects of biasing titles on text
comprehension. Memory and Cognition, 5, 482-490.
tion, perception, and effects on learning. Psychological Reports.
17, 135-144.
Strategic training for using text headings 487
 Loman. N.L., & Mayer. R.F (1983). Signaling techniques that in- Spyridakis. J.H.. & Standal, T.C. (1987). Signals in expository
crease the understandability of expository prose, journal of prose: Effects on reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 22, 285-
Educational Psychology, 75, 402-412. 298.

Lorch. R.F. (1989). Test-signaling devices and their effects on
reading and memory processes. Educational Psychology Review,
1.209-234.
Mealey. D.L. ( 1 990). Understanding the motivation problems of
at-risk college students, journal of Reading, 34, 598-601 .
Rickards, J.P. (1975-76). Processing effects of advanced orga-
nizers interspersed in text. Reading Research Quarterly, 11, 599-
622.
Wilhite, S.C. (1986). The relationship of headings, questions,
and locus of control to multiple-choice test performance.
journal of Reading Behavior, 18, 23-29.
Wilhite, S.C. (1988). Reading for multiple-choice test: Headings
as schema activators, journal of Reading Behavior, 20, 2 1 5-228.
Wilhite, S.C. (1989). Headings as memory facilitators: The im-
portance of prior knowledge, journal of Educational Psychology,
81, 115-117.

"If you could read Jack London, you'd love this one!"

488 Journal of Reading 36:6 March 1993

View publication stats

This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:44:27 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions