title: Identifying reading strategies using latent semantic analysis: comparing semantic benchmarks.
abstract: We explored methods of using latent semantic analysis (LSA) to identify reading strategies in students' self-explanations that are collected as part of a Web-based reading trainer. In this study, college students self-explained scientific texts, one sentence at a time. ISA was used to measure the similarity between the self-explanations and semantic benchmarks (groups of words and sentences that together represent reading strategies). Three types of semantic benchmarks were compared: content words, exemplars, and strategies. Discriminant analyses were used to classify global and specific reading strategies using the LSA cosines. All benchmarks contributed to the classification of general reading strategies, but the exemplars did the best in distinguishing subtle semantic differences between reading strategies. Pragmatic and theoretical concerns of using LSA are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 60115, USA. kmillis@niu.edu
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Millis
authors.forename: Hyun-Jeong Joyce
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todaro
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Magliano
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiemer-Hastings
authors.forename: Danielle S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: McNamara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D019985:Benchmarking; D032882:Comprehension; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008037:Linguistics; D008606:Mental Processes; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology