New grant explores test-taking behavior, reading comprehension outcomes
In schools across the country, students are taught to read paragraphs and then answer questions about the text. But a new grant for a University of Georgia researcher may show different—and ultimately better—ways to test students’ reading comprehension.
While past research on test-taking strategies has focused on college and high school students, a new $1.4 million grant awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences will examine the extent to which reading comprehension tests really measure the reading comprehension skills of school-aged students.
Scott Ardoin, professor and head of the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education, will lead a four-year, four-part study to help educators better understand the test-taking behavior of third-, fifth- and eighth-grade students. By analyzing factors such as eye movement, reading achievement, working memory, and motivation, his team will determine whether adjustments are needed to improve the effectiveness of reading comprehension assessments and instruction by teachers.