Benefits from sketching for improving comprehension monitoring from illustrated texts

TL;DR

This study shows that sketching while reading illustrated texts helps people better monitor their understanding, reducing the illusion of knowing more than they actually do.

Contribution

The study introduces sketching as a strategy to improve metacomprehension accuracy in texts with mixed illustration conditions.

Findings

Relative metacomprehension accuracy improved when readers generated sketches.

Sketching reduced differences in accuracy between illustrated and non-illustrated topics.

Sketching supports deeper processing and better understanding monitoring.

Abstract

Although frequently used with instructional expository text, it has been suggested that illustrations can lead to illusions of understanding (beliefs that we understand better than we actually do). In this study using geoscience texts, relative metacomprehension accuracy (the ability to monitor one’s own understanding across a set of topics) was found to be particularly poor when only some topics were illustrated. However, when readers were prompted to generate sketches while reading, relative accuracy was improved, and was more similar across illustration conditions. Consistent with the situation-model approach to metacognition, sketching activities may help readers to generate valid and diagnostic cues on which to base their judgments of understanding and avoid reliance on heuristic cues or superficial processing.

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