Skip to main content

The Constructionist-Integration Model of Reading















The Constructionist-Integration (Kintsch, 1988; 2004) Model of Reading comprehension (CI) sounds like it may be a construction crew out building libraries or bookstores, but it is really a model of how working memory constructs meaning by assembling propositions (sentences or meaning units like phrases).  This model is from the constructivist school of thought, which espouses the idea that we create meaning from the world around us rather than discover a meaning that was intended from the beginning.  In other words, a reader brings his or her background knowledge to the text, and in that manner, he or she will have a unique reading experience no matter the book.  If a sentence says "dog," one child might envision a poodle while another envisons a pit bull.  Therefore, each reader interacts with and experiences the text differently.

In order to understand this model, it is necessary to understand some key terminology.

  • textbase or microstructure--the current proposition and 2-3 surrounding sentences
  • macrostructure--the gist of the text as a whole
  • situation model--a mental model of the text as it is being read; the reader visualizes the text using his/her background knowledge and supplies details where the details are scant.  For example, a reader might think of the smell of an apple pie in the story even if the smell hasn't been discussed.  Because situation models are unique to the individual, they vary from reader to reader.
  • local coherence--thought to be the main goal of the comprehension process in a minimalist model; a reader will make a minimal amount of inferences to connect seemingly unrelated sentences, for example. Local coherence is maintained with propositions that are in close proximity to one another.
  • global coherence--  thought to be the process used in a constructionist model; the reader is continually making inferences as he/she reads in an effort to make sense of the text of the whole and even retrieves previously suppressed material as it becomes relevant.
Context plays a pivotal role in the construction of propositions.  According to Kintsch (1983) and his macro rules that govern the encoding of propositions, context determines what meanings are quickly suppressed, what propositions are deleted from the microstructure, if a series of propositions can be reduced to one general statement, or if one proposition activates another (i.e. inferring "school" from "grades").  Because English has so many polysemous words, context is key to processing the meaning of a text, as Adams (1990) inclusion of  a context processor in her reading model indicates.


Kintsch


For further reading:
Inference Generation and Cohesion in the Construction of Situation Models:  Some Connections with Computational Linguistics  (Graesser et al., 2007)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unlocking Creative Brilliance with Digital Magnetic Poetry: Teach Syntax, Diction, and Tone

Originally published 1/14/2009.  Updated 11/4/2023 The possibilities are infinite--ish when you use online magnets to get creative. No refrigerator necessary. Free online kits here . Poetry, with its mesmerizing ability to encapsulate emotions, stories, and ideas within the boundaries of words, is a true art form. But there's a particular type of poetry that holds a special place in my heart—the kind that challenges our traditional understanding of language and syntax. I'm talking about magnetic poetry, the quirky, wordplay-filled realm where creativity knows no bounds. I love this type of poetry! It really makes me think in a different syntax, playing with a strange juxtaposition of words. Often, I use this format when I am bored or if I have NO IDEA what I want to write about! The beauty of magnetic poetry lies in its simplicity and boundless potential for creativity. It's an art form where words become movable puzzle pieces, waiting to be rearranged into poetic masterpi...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Book Review of Sark's (2008) Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It

A Book Review of Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It by Sark.  Three Rivers press, 2008. 185 pages. $18.95.             When I first discovered Sark, I was at once inspired, envious, and critical. I remember sitting on my best friend’s bed, covered in its usual tangle of sarongs and tapestries rather than real bed clothes, growing more incredulous as I flipped each page of Succulent Wild Woman (1997).   What kind of new-age hippie crap was this?   Someone had gotten paid to write this ?   These doodles and handwritten pages were worthy of my ultimate goal, that pinnacle of success, PUBLICATION?   But each spunky drawing and passage motivated me to continue my own writing.   Sark wrote the way I wrote, turning letters to friends into artwork, and if she could get paid for it then I could.     ...
Read more

What is Working Memory?

How Does The Brain Work? If I could answer that question, I could probably be cooling my heels on a nice island somewhere, mimosa in hand,  Instead, I am left to read research and theories about how the brain (and reading) operates.  One can dream, though..... For years, researchers delineated memory into two types:  short term and long term.  More recently, after the advent of LaBerge and Samuels Automaticity Theory (1974) and Perfetti's Verbal Efficiency Theory (1988), this construct was re-imagined as working memory --which adds the dimension of processing to the function of storage ( Daneman & Carpenter , 1980).  As they explain, "Working memory is assumed to have processing as well as storage functions; it serves as the site for executing processes and for storing the products of these processes" (p. 450).  Working memory is active rather than passive.   Tanabe , Azumi , Osaka, & Naoyuki (2009) explain that workin...
1 comment
Read more