Verbal Protocols in Literacy Research

Nature of Global Reading Development

Susan E. Israel

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781317917984
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This volume offers an updated analysis of the methodology of reading and reading research since 1995, when the landmark book Verbal Protocols of Reading: The Nature of Constructively Responsive Reading by Michael Pressley and Peter Afflerbach was published. It offers a thorough cross-analysis of the conscious processes experienced during reading, the structure of reading comprehension, and its application to more current initiatives such as Common Core State Standards and Response to Intervention. It also provides a detailed analysis of Constructively Responsive Reading through relevant online self-report studies in reading and reading comprehension behavior. It is a fresh and comprehensive volume that speaks not only to reading researchers, but to literacy teachers at all levels.

1
Historical and Theoretical Perspective of Verbal Protocols

If the last decade is any indication of the prospects for verbal reports and protocol analysis, we are looking forward to a new decade of major advances in our understanding of the human mind.

(Ericsson & Simon, 1983/1993, p. liii)

Chapter Goals

• Document early research regarding the foundation of the study of the mind and how information is processed using verbal reports and protocol analysis.
• Provide historical and theoretical foundations guiding verbal protocol analyses and the impetus for this volume.
• Outline influence of global reading research in order to set the stage for an analysis of studies representing research in verbal protocols for the past 20 years.

The primary focus of Chapter 1 is an outline from historical and theoretical perspectives of verbal protocol analyses and the study of think-aloud reports on students’ reading processes relevant to cognitive processes used when processing text. A verbal protocol is a methodology used to analyze the authentic processes reported during reading. This chapter is a very important chapter in the book, in that it provides an overview of the rationale for the book from a historical and theoretical perspective and the need to investigate the international research on verbal protocols that has been conducted over the past two decades.

History of Reading as Sophisticated Organizational Structures

Advancing verbal reports and protocol analysis continues to guide our understanding of the human mind. The advances of the current trends of verbal protocol analysis can applaud the research done previously as the methodology continues to mature. Understanding the nature of information processing within the neurological processes of the brain became evident within the theoretical foundation of the work of Holmes. Holmes writes, “The mind here is defined as the sum of the psycho-neurological processes of the brain, which, of course, reflect the quantity and quality of the inherent and logical structures of the information that has been imposed on the basic cell engrams of the brain.” In 1965, when Holmes asked the question, “What gets organized and how?”, he was referring to the processes of reading and the interaction of tightly associated functional interactions and the influence of organizational structures during reading. Holmes found that mental structures within the processes of reading are found in the complexity of an intricate web of ability systems with the Power of Reading controlled by these mental structures within the brain. At this time elements of reading processes were being evaluated with limited evidence of the contributions of reading comprehension in the reading process. In fact, it was Holmes who found that reading processes within the mind are focusing on one’s range of information or the breadth of knowledge as the single most important factor. Reading researchers’ reports agree that reading is composed of highly sophisticated organizational structures. In order to understand the complexities of reading and the thinking processes within the cosmos of reading, verbal protocol analysis helps researchers understand the complexities of reading and reading processes, more specifically in terms of reading comprehension and cognitive thought processes.

Since the seminal publication of Verbal Protocols of Reading: The Nature of Constructively Responsive Reading by Pressley and Afflerbach (1995), there have been many new developments in the field of reading and literacy and the goal of this book is to shed new light on the area of reading and the processes of reading in terms of reading and comprehension. A brief overview of the reason for the original publication begins the chapter, with a review of the theoretical framework of verbal protocol analysis. A look at the past and how the types of research available at that time have influenced reading will be summarized. A review of how Verbal Protocols in Literacy Research was written will set the stage for this comprehensive volume on verbal protocol studies conducted since the cornerstone publications and the rationale for emphasis of international research studies in the area of verbal protocol analyses.

This chapter’s focus is on the historical nature of research guiding verbal protocol studies conducted over the past two decades. Durkin (1978/1979) provided the research that guided the study of reading comprehension, with landmark studies summarized in Israel and Duffy (2009). A chapter titled, “The Roots of Reading Comprehension Instruction,” in the Handbook of Research on Reading Comprehension (Israel & Duffy, 2009), which is summarized by P. David Pearson in its entirety, provides an eloquent review of reading comprehension theories. Summarizing this research Pearson states, “The process of text comprehension has always provoked exasperated but nonetheless enthusiastic inquiry within the research community” (p. 3). The research community around the world has embraced the study of reading comprehension through the use of verbal protocol analyses. Guided by the historical and theoretical research of the past, current reading research over the past few decades subsequent to the groundwork done can provide greater insight and inquiry into understanding the processes of the mind leading to more effective instruction in reading.

The earliest research done used subjects’ reports of their thinking to develop psychological theory such as cognitive and constructivist theories. Early research by the behaviorists was on behavior, rather than thoughts, which prevented them from protocol analysis use. It wasn’t until the 1960s, along with the tenets of cognitive psychology and reader response theory, that protocol analysis received more attention.

Theoretical Perspectives of Verbal Protocol Analysis

Verbal protocol analysis has become known as the methodology to employ when studying conscious processing during skilled reading as it relates to reading comprehension nationally and internationally. Verbal reports and protocol analysis enrich our understanding of reading and play central roles in developing detailed descriptions of cognition and response in reading (Afflerbach, 2000). Protocol analysis seeks to study the nature of a person’s words to his or her thoughts and offers the opportunity for researchers to gather a detailed understanding of reading and reading-related phenomena to better understand the processes of reading (Israel, 2002). One of the most important events in the development and refinement of protocol analysis was the publications of Ericsson and Simon’s study done in 1983 and revised in 1993. Their work interpreted an authoritative review of the evidence on protocol analysis validating the claims about thinking aloud relative to information processing theory and became the standard reference on think-aloud methodology forming the foundations of later theory development. In this theory, two important constructs emerged in relation to short-term memory and long-term memory. Pressley and Afflerbach (1995) built on this theory and evaluated research using a grounded theory methodology to research to build a theory known as constructively responsive reading, which can be described as reading that is opportunistic in nature. Constructively responsive readers use many strategies with which to comprehend the text. Further historical and theoretical details are summarized below and provide a deeper understanding regarding the nature of verbal protocol analysis.

Influence of World Dynamics in Reading

Educators in the area of reading and literacy within the United States are being faced with more and more curriculum mandates, such as the Response to Intervention and the new Common Core State Standards that cause them to seek strategies that will allow them to continue to help children with reading processes, while at the same time integrate new standards and pedagogy in their reading program. The Common Core State Standards have established criteria for books that are more complex in nature in order to assist children in becoming college- and career-ready. In addition, research reports agree that all readers should use expert thinking processes as found in Pressley and Afflerbach (1995). With the adoption of standards across the country, teachers of reading and literacy are searching for strategies that will allow them to integrate the new standards in their reading curriculum and provide the best form of instruction to meet this goal. Likewise, at the forefront of teachers’ minds is the issue with accountability based on teaching standards as published by the International Reading Association.

International educators within the area of literacy are faced with the many global issues that impact the cultures and regions and greatly influence the nature of reading and literacy development. In fact, during the writing of this chapter the news reported the kidnapping of the Afghanistan girls, bombings in Iraq, strong sanctions made in the Baltic regions and beyond, recent death of Nelson Mandela, the World Cup in Brazil, to name just a few major events. Ukraine has offered its share of global issues, as well as the attacks that occur even during cease-fires in Israel and Gaza. During the summer of 2014 California was in serious drought, which has impacted crops sent to international countries and throughout America. Still, one missing plane has yet to be found. All happened while writing Chapter 1 and researching the international verbal protocol studies.

What can Verbal Protocols Reveal?

Verbal protocols are rich data sets with the capability of revealing very valuable information regarding a student’s thought processes while he or she is reading, which lead to better instructional performance by teachers in the classroom. Understanding the information of these thought processes helps literacy educators better understand the complex processes within the brain that occur during reading, but that also provide direction on which processes are more efficient and effective with comprehension performance. The works of Ericsson and Simon provided the necessary theoretical backdrop to conceptualize the theories grounded in verbal protocol analysis, and a brief overview of verbal protocol studies begins with this analysis.

Ericsson and Simon (1983/1993)

Ericsson and Simon (1983/1993) grounded their theory in information processing with emphasis on two constructs, short- and long-term memory. Long-term memory stores procedural or declarative knowledge. Long-term memory helps us remember how to do things over a period of time or helps us recall facts. For example, what we were doing at the time of major events in history, such as when the Challenger exploded. Short-term memory is the holding place for conscious thoughts derived from external stimulation and associations stored in long-term memory. A report of thoughts or original cognitions at the time of thinking them becomes the most valid form of memory or data that can be analyzed. However, questions related to short-term memory reports cannot always answer “why” questions, which may be related to behavior motives. Think-aloud data is a verbal report of the contents of the short-term memory making verbal protocol analysis possible and valid. Ericsson and Simon made significant contributions to the works of Pressley and Afflerbach that helped guide methodological improvements and analysis of text processing. These contributions are summarized in Table 1.1 and can be used to understand the key elements of methodological recommendations presented in the works of Ericsson and Simon.

Table 1.1 Ericsson and Simon Conclusions of Methodological Recommendations (1983/1993)

Practice	How Self-Reports Should Be Collected
Directions	Participants do not attempt to make a self-report coherent only report cognitions
Self-Reports	Devise procedures to slow processing down to report and support conscious control
Representation of Information	Awareness that goals of processing may be reflected in self-reports than rapid thoughts
Processing of Self-Reports	The more time that has passed since probed item the less likely self-report represents original thoughts
Think-Aloud Instructions	Simply report short-term memory with emphasis on accuracy of self-report and not researcher’s goals
Think-Aloud Training	Generally not required because it is a natural process, but reminders to report might be necessary
Understanding Ability Levels	Ability to self-report depends on verbal ability skills
Differences in Thinking	Protocols should reflect variability between human thinking in order to recognize individual differences
Code Verbal Reports	Dependent variable must be reliable and co...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: A Window into Global Literacy
• 1 Historical and Theoretical Perspective of Verbal Protocols
• 2 Analysis of Global Verbal Protocol Studies
• 3 Nature of Global Reading Comprehension Development
• 4 Reflections on Theoretical Underpinning in Verbal Protocol Research
• 5 Directions for Future Research in Literacy Protocol Analysis
• 6 Global Literacy Instruction in the Future Talking to Key Ideas
• Appendix A: Hints on Conducting Verbal Protocol Research
• Appendix B: Afterword
• Index