Toward an explanatory model of document literacy

To date, most models of document processing (e.g., Fisher, 1981; Guthrie, 1988; Kirsch & Guthrie, 1984b) have been “exploratory” that is, explanations of document processing have been largely inferred through analogies with other cognitive models. The variables used to define these models are based on little, if any, empirical validation. In contrast, the model proposed in this article is a “partial explanatory” model because it identifies a set of variables that have been empirically validated for the broad range of tasks that make up the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) document literacy scale (Kirsch & Jungeblut, 1986). The research underlying this model is first described (based on Kirsch & Mosenthal, 1990). Next, a grammar of documents is presented. Using terminology and concepts based on this grammar, a partial explanatory model of document processing is proposed. The variables underlying this model are defined and illustrated using a set of tasks that relate to a bus schedule. The article concludes by discussing and demonstrating the advantages of explanatory over exploratory models of document processing.