211 3. Research questions Research on text structure instruction distinguishes between first-generation research, which focuses primarily on the effects of text structure instruction on reading and writing skills, and second-generation research, which focuses on the context of reading instruction and primarily on implementing text structure instruction in educational practice (Beerwinkle et al., 2018; Wijekumar et al., 2019; Williams, 2018). The current dissertation aligns with this socalled second-generation research and highlights a number of factors of text structure teaching that are contingent for successful implementation of text structure interventions. In doing so, we explore an innovative approach to text structure instruction by linking it to science education. After all, understanding how a text is organized not only provides better understanding of the text, but can potentially help to better comprehend the subject content described. The central research question of this dissertation is: To what extent is it workable to integrate reading instruction with a focus on text structure with science education, and what effects does this have on the reading and writing skills and subject knowledge of students in upper levels of primary education? The first two studies focused on the two contingent factors for implementing text structure education in primary education: the knowledge pre-service teachers are taught about it in teacher training, and the opportunities for text structure education offered by current science teaching programs. Then, with a design team of teachers, we designed and tested teaching materials that integrated text structure education into science lessons. The subsequent study examined the effects of using these teaching materials on the reading and writing skills of students in grade 4. The final study is a continuation of the first study: we explored what knowledge second-year pre-service teachers have about text structure and to what extent providing a series of video podcasts can contribute to that knowledge. 4. Findings 4.1 What teachers learn about text structure In order to gain insight into the knowledge about text structure and text comprehension that prospective teachers should obtain during their teacher training, we analyzed the Knowledge Base for Dutch Language Education in primary education (Van der Leeuw et al., 2009). On the basis of concepts and theories in scientific literature on reading comprehension and document design, we put together an analytical framework of themes and contents relevant to teaching about text structure. This research was guided by two questions: 1) What is text structure? 2) What role does text structure play in understanding and producing texts? For our analysis, we used the intended curriculum document Uitwerking kennisbasis Nederlands published by 10voordeleraar after recalibration of the original Knowledge Base. The contents of this document is leading since 2018-2019. We analyzed the knowledge elements that are assessed in a national test: knowledge about what students in elementary 212
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