Discourse Structure: Expectations of Beginning Readers and Readability of Text

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Abstract
This paper examines discourse factors as sources of difficulty in texts for beginning readers. The least readable portions of three primer and trade texts were identified through miscue data from nine beginning readers. Analysis of children's miscues and retellings showed patterns of difficulty related to (a) connective devices, (b) narrative voice, (c) patterned repetition, and (d) the role of pictures. Results suggested that beginning readers were more successful when text met their expectations about the use of connective and rhetorical devices and when patterned repetition and pictures were related to discourse structure. This study challenges conventional notions of readability and indicates the need for a broader consideration of text characteristics which support learning to read.

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