The Effect Of Amplifying Material Upon Comprehension

Many difficult concepts are presented in general statements in textbooks, which com prise a major portion of the reading material provided for pupils in the elementary grades of the country. There is no indication at present tHat the widespread use of textbooks will be decreased in the near future. Numer ous investigations have shown that there is no grade level where pupils of average ability are able to read with adequate understanding the textbooks provided for them. One reason why textbooks are inadequately understood is that they contain many general and ab stract statements which do not provide suffi cient detail for pupils with limited experien tial and linguistic backgrounds. As a result, such pupils are prone to memorize the lan guage about facts instead of gaining actual knowledge and understanding. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of amplification of general statements upon the reading com prehension of children in the intermediate grades.