Explicit Comprehension Instruction: A Review of Research and a New Conceptualization of Instruction

Over the last several years, research in reading comprehension has provided the impetus for changes in our thinking about comprehension instruction. From this research, new instructional frameworks for teaching comprehension have been developed. Studies of instruction confirm that we can do a better job of teaching comprehension by using these new instructional frame-works than by following the traditional basal reading paradigm. This article synthesizes recent research on comprehension instruction and presents a new conceptualization of instruction. Representative instructional studies of inference training, reciprocal teaching, and process training are reviewed. The concept of explicit comprehension instruction is then described and contrasted with more traditional models of direct instruction. Next, potential difficulties in implementing explicit comprehension instruction in classrooms are discussed. Finally, 2 important curricular concerns are raised.