The Use of Advance Organizers with Older Adults of Limited Verbal Ability

A study was conducted to investigate ways in which reading comprehension could be instructionally influenced and whether that influence differentially affected young and elderly adult learners. The study attempted, too, to determine whether advance organizers--instructional aids designed to precede a main passage and to provide an organizational framework for meaningful prose--would aid older adults of limited verbal ability as much as younger adults. A second question examined whether older adults who are exposed to an advance organizer will improve in their recall of the gist or the detail of text material. Twenty-eight young adults (aged 18-32) and 42 elderly adults (aged 55-82) were asked to read a 1,600 word main passage that dealt with developing a wildflower garden. A 400-word advance organizer was elaborated as a conceptual framework for introducing the main passage. Pilot research indicated that the advance organizer, although discussing in general terms the main themes contained in the longer passage, did not contain explicit information included there. Multiple choice questions were developed to test comprehension and retention of the information in the main passage. Treatment groups consisted of those who read the advance organizer prior to the main passage, and those who read the main passage only. Results indicated that subjects of limited verbal ability benefited most from the advance organizer; no one age group, however, benefited more than the other. Also, those who read the advance organizer recalled more of the detailed information in the text, but did not do as well with the more general information. (NKA)