Strategic Difficulties in Summarizing Texts

THIS STUDY examined the possibility that some eighth-grade students' difficulties with the task of summarization may be linked to deficits in strategic skills. A systematic examination was made of the students' introspective awareness of the summarization task, ability to identify important elements in the text, and ability to transform the text into its gist. Results indicated that most of the eighth-grade students were aware of the task demands of summarization. However, good and poor readers did differ in what they considered important, in what they includpd in their summaries, and in how they transformed the original text. Sensitivity to importance and efficient use of the transformations were significantly related to the ability to produce summaries. Sensitivity to importance was also significantly related to the ability to comprehend what had been read. This study suggests that when comprehension difficulties are encountered, teachers should assess the students' use of strategic skills and provide appropriate training if necessary.