Text Summarization Deficiencies Among Older Students: Awareness or Production Ability?

Two explanations for text summarization deficiencies among older learners were investigated. Forty students at each of three grade levels were asked to prepare optimal and nonoptimal short summaries for a written descriptive passage. Awareness of the importance of three aspects of successful summarization—inclusion of important ideas, succinctness, and integration—was measured by learner differentiation of the two summary products. Production ability for the three features was measured by acceptability of the optimal product. Results of the study confirmed deficiencies documented in the literature but with some specificity for source of the deficit (i.e., awareness or production ability problems) and for age level. Specific instructional remedies are proposed.