Effects of position and type of question on learning from prose material: Interaction of treatments with individual differences

Randomly assigned 72 junior college Ss to 1 of 4 treatment groups: position (before or after) and type (lower order vs higher order) of question placed in prose material. A control group (n = 15) had no questions in text. Before instruction, Ss received 5 aptitude tests. Instruction consisted of a 1,525-word prose passage. Ss were tested immediately and 2 wks after instruction. Differences in group means on 4 measures of achievement usually were statistically significant but small. A vocabulary test interacted with treatments. Based on these findings, suggestions are offered for adapting instruction to individual learning needs: Ss with low vocabulary scores might be assigned to text material with higher order questions placed after a prose passage, while Ss with high vocabulary scores might be assigned to text without questions. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).