Effects of structure strategy training and signaling on recall of text

Younger and older adults participated in 9 hr of either structure strategy training, interest strategy training, or no training. Both trained groups r eported positive changes in reading, but only the structure strategy group showed increased total recall from a variety of texts and an informative vi deo. Structure strategy training increased the amount of information rememb ered as well as recall of the most important information. This training aff ected the organization of recall and was critical for producing readers who could use the structure strategy consistently across a variety of exposito ry texts. In addition, it helped learners use signals in text more effectiv ely. There was an additive effect of training plus signaling for use of the structure strategy consistently across five passages. The strategy switch hypothesis was supported, indicating that signaling affects encoding rather than retrieval processes. The findings have implications for both reading and writing.