The Effect of Graphic Organizers on Students’ Comprehension and Recall of Expository Text: A Review of the Research and Implications for Practice

Many students, particularly those who are difficult to teach, find learning from expository text materials a difficult task. We review the use of the graphic organizer as a means to assist students in the complex act of making sense of content‐area (e.g., science and social studies) text. After exploring the theoretical and historical foundations of the graphic organizer, we review the current research. Finally, we derive implications for the classroom teacher and future research.