The Process of Constructing Main Ideas From Text

Getting the main idea is generally considered to be the most essential of reading "skills." However, although something is known about readers' use of explicit main idea statements, little is known about how readers construct main ideas that are not stated explicitly in the text. In this study, main idea construction processes are examined by analyzing the verbal reports of expert readers who have read difficult text. Several main idea construction strategies are described, along with strategies for assigning importance to text elements and for managing cognitive resources. Many of these strategies seem to be very amenable to instructional application. The verbal reports also highlight the importance of affective components in models of reading processes.