Rhetorical Structure and Graphic Organizers: Effects on Learning from a History Text

This paper describes the effects of different methods to enhance students’ understanding and learning from a text. We compared the efficiency of a text revision procedure (“from the text”) and inferential activity engagement (“toward the text”) in the comprehension and recall of a History text. A total of 338 undergraduate students (aged 19-20) participated in the study. We wrote five versions of the same expository text, showing different rhetorical structures: Causation, antecedent-consequent; Causation, consequent-antecedent; Collection; Problem-solution; and Comparison. The first version, clarifying the causal structure and the temporal order of the events, had a significant effect in the delayed recall of the subjects. The task of filling an incomplete causal diagram also showed significant differences. This inferential activity, which involves the reader in the causal representation of the events, could be more useful than providing a previously elaborated graphic representation. Implications for educational practice and relevant related issues are discussed.