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Wikipedia

Jane Oakhill

Jane Oakhill is a British cognitive psychologist and expert on the development of reading comprehension.[1] She holds the position of Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Sussex.[2]

Jane Oakhill
OccupationProfessor of Experimental Psychology
Awards
  • British Psychological Society Spearman Medal (1991)
  • Society for Text and Discourse Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (2019)
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Sussex
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Sussex

Oakhill was awarded the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal[3] for early career research contributions in 1991. In 2019, she received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award[4] from the Society for Text and Discourse in 2019 in recognition of her decades-long research program on children's reading difficulties.[5] Other awards include the 2016 Research Impact Award from the University of Sussex.[2]

Oakhill has served on the Governing Board of Society for Text and Discourse[6] and on the Editorial Board of Discourse Processes.[7]

Biography edit

Oakhill received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and Education from the University of Sussex.[2] She became a primary school teacher for two years where her experiences working with young readers sparked an interest in children’s reading comprehension problems.[8] Reflecting on her research journey, Oakhill stated, "it occurred to me that my observations about discrepancies between children’s word reading and text comprehension competence could make for an interesting research topic."[8]

Oakhill returned to the University of Sussex to pursue a PhD in the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, which was headed by Stuart Sutherland.[8] Oakhill completed her dissertation on children's reading comprehension,[9] under the supervision of Philip Johnson-Laird, in 1981. After graduating, she worked for several years with Johnson-Laird on studies of deductive reasoning[10] and discourse comprehension.[11]

After joining the faculty of the University of Sussex as a lecturer in 1990, Oakhill's primary research focus shifted back to reading comprehension and how children draw inferences while processing text.[2]

Research edit

Oakhill has had a prolific career researching how children learn to read, make inferences, and comprehend text. Her research program has been influenced by conversations with children and educators,[8] and has led to the development of improved methods and curriculum for teaching children how to read and learn, especially in the United Kingdom.[1] Oakhill distilled critical insights from her research into a set of key points.[12] First, teachers should model processes of analysis and inference and engage their students in discussion. Second, teachers should ask children what they don't understand in order to encourage metacognition and develop their comprehension monitoring skills. Third, teachers should avoid teaching definitions, as vocabulary should be understood rather than memorized. Oakhill argues that it is inefficient to force memorization, and that reading comprehension is enhanced through oral discussions in which ideas are questioned and debated.[12]

In her keynote address to the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction,[13] Oakhill summarized key findings from research on reading comprehension. She emphasized that inference making is essential to both understanding vocabulary and reading comprehension. When readers (both adults and children) lack such skills, it affects their ability to understand what they are reading. Poor readers have difficulties thinking beyond the scope of the sentences before them and connecting notions between sentences. Such inference making is necessary to develop a coherent representation or mental model of the text. Oakhill stated that "Comprehension skills need to be taught. They don't just develop in all children."[13] She called for changes in the way reading comprehension is approached.

Oakhill has had long-standing research collaborations with Kate Cain, Alan Garnham, Nicola Yuill, and others. One of her widely-cited longitudinal studies focused on associations between working memory, inference making, comprehension monitoring, and reading comprehension in 8- to 11-year-old children.[14] The researchers found that each of these variables predicted individual differences in reading comprehension at all ages, after controlling for vocabulary knowledge and decoding (word reading) skills. Other work, focusing specifically on children with fluent and accurate word reading who exhibit poor text comprehension, failed to find a single underlying factor that would explain the children's reading difficulties.[15]

Books edit

  • Cain, K., & Oakhill, J. (Eds.). (2008). Children's comprehension problems in oral and written language: A cognitive perspective. Guilford Press.
  • Cornoldi, C., & Oakhill, J. V. (Eds.). (2013). Reading comprehension difficulties: Processes and intervention. Routledge.
  • Garnham, A., & Oakhill, J. (1994). Thinking and reasoning. Basil Blackwell.
  • Garnham, A., & Oakhill, J. (Eds.). (2013). Mental models in cognitive science: Essays in honour of Phil Johnson-Laird. Psychology Press.
  • Oakhill, J., & Beard, R. (Eds.). (1999). Reading development and the teaching of reading: A psychological perspective. Blackwell Science.
  • Oakhill, J., Cain, K., & Elbro, C. (2015). Understanding and teaching reading comprehension: A handbook. Routledge.
  • Oakhill, J., & Garnham, A. (1988). Becoming a skilled reader. Basil Blackwell.
  • Yuill, N., & Oakhill, J. (1991). Children's problems in text comprehension: An experimental investigation. Cambridge University Press.

Representative publications edit

  • Oakhill, J. (1982). Constructive processes in skilled and less skilled comprehenders' memory for sentences. British Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1982.tb01785.x
  • Oakhill, J. (1984). Inferential and memory skills in children's comprehension of stories. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 54(1), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1984.tb00842.x
  • Oakhill, J. V., & Cain, K. (2012). The precursors of reading ability in young readers: Evidence from a four-year longitudinal study. Scientific Studies of Reading, 16(2), 91-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2010.529219
  • Oakhill, J. V., Cain, K., & Bryant, P. E. (2003). The dissociation of word reading and text comprehension: Evidence from component skills. Language and Cognitive Processes, 18(4), 443-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/01690960344000008
  • Oakhill, J., Hartt, J., & Samols, D. (2005). Levels of comprehension monitoring and working memory in good and poor comprehenders. Reading and Writing, 18(7-9), 657-686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-005-3355-z

References edit

  1. ^ a b "A Story in the Telling". BBC News UK. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jane Oakhill, Profile". profiles.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  3. ^ . www.bps.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  4. ^ "Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award winners | Society for Text & Discourse". Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. ^ "2019 DSCA Winner: Jane Oakhill | Society for Text & Discourse". Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  6. ^ "Governing Board | Society for Text & Discourse". Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  7. ^ "Discourse Processes Editorial Board". www.tandfonline.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  8. ^ a b c d "'I didn't leave it at that… I talked to them about their reading' | The Psychologist". thepsychologist.bps.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  9. ^ Oakhill, J. V. (1981). Children's reading comprehension (Ph.D. thesis). University of Sussex.
  10. ^ Oakhill, Jane; Johnson-Laird, P.N.; Garnham, Alan (1989). "Believability and syllogistic reasoning". Cognition. 31 (2): 117–140. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(89)90020-6. PMID 2721132. S2CID 23308811.
  11. ^ Garnham, Alan; Oakhill, Jane; Johnson-Laird, P.N. (1982). "Referential continuity and the coherence of discourse". Cognition. 11 (1): 29–46. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(82)90003-8. PMID 7198951. S2CID 8636951.
  12. ^ a b Oakhill, Jane. "Four Do's and Don't's When Teaching Reading Comprehension". blog.amplify.com. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  13. ^ a b "Prof. Jane Oakhill - EARLI 2015 Keynote". Youtube.
  14. ^ Cain, Kate; Oakhill, Jane; Bryant, Peter (2004). "Children's Reading Comprehension Ability: Concurrent Prediction by Working Memory, Verbal Ability, and Component Skills". Journal of Educational Psychology. 96 (1): 31–42. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.31. ISSN 0022-0663. S2CID 17531662.
  15. ^ Cain, Kate; Oakhill, Jane (2006). "Profiles of children with specific reading comprehension difficulties". British Journal of Educational Psychology. 76 (4): 683–696. doi:10.1348/000709905X67610. ISSN 2044-8279. PMID 17094880.

External links edit

jane, oakhill, british, cognitive, psychologist, expert, development, reading, comprehension, holds, position, professor, experimental, psychology, university, sussex, occupationprofessor, experimental, psychologyawardsbritish, psychological, society, spearman. Jane Oakhill is a British cognitive psychologist and expert on the development of reading comprehension 1 She holds the position of Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Sussex 2 Jane OakhillOccupationProfessor of Experimental PsychologyAwardsBritish Psychological Society Spearman Medal 1991 Society for Text and Discourse Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award 2019 Academic backgroundAlma materUniversity of SussexAcademic workInstitutionsUniversity of Sussex Oakhill was awarded the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal 3 for early career research contributions in 1991 In 2019 she received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award 4 from the Society for Text and Discourse in 2019 in recognition of her decades long research program on children s reading difficulties 5 Other awards include the 2016 Research Impact Award from the University of Sussex 2 Oakhill has served on the Governing Board of Society for Text and Discourse 6 and on the Editorial Board of Discourse Processes 7 Contents 1 Biography 2 Research 3 Books 4 Representative publications 5 References 6 External linksBiography editOakhill received her Bachelor s degree in Biological Sciences and Education from the University of Sussex 2 She became a primary school teacher for two years where her experiences working with young readers sparked an interest in children s reading comprehension problems 8 Reflecting on her research journey Oakhill stated it occurred to me that my observations about discrepancies between children s word reading and text comprehension competence could make for an interesting research topic 8 Oakhill returned to the University of Sussex to pursue a PhD in the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology which was headed by Stuart Sutherland 8 Oakhill completed her dissertation on children s reading comprehension 9 under the supervision of Philip Johnson Laird in 1981 After graduating she worked for several years with Johnson Laird on studies of deductive reasoning 10 and discourse comprehension 11 After joining the faculty of the University of Sussex as a lecturer in 1990 Oakhill s primary research focus shifted back to reading comprehension and how children draw inferences while processing text 2 Research editOakhill has had a prolific career researching how children learn to read make inferences and comprehend text Her research program has been influenced by conversations with children and educators 8 and has led to the development of improved methods and curriculum for teaching children how to read and learn especially in the United Kingdom 1 Oakhill distilled critical insights from her research into a set of key points 12 First teachers should model processes of analysis and inference and engage their students in discussion Second teachers should ask children what they don t understand in order to encourage metacognition and develop their comprehension monitoring skills Third teachers should avoid teaching definitions as vocabulary should be understood rather than memorized Oakhill argues that it is inefficient to force memorization and that reading comprehension is enhanced through oral discussions in which ideas are questioned and debated 12 In her keynote address to the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction 13 Oakhill summarized key findings from research on reading comprehension She emphasized that inference making is essential to both understanding vocabulary and reading comprehension When readers both adults and children lack such skills it affects their ability to understand what they are reading Poor readers have difficulties thinking beyond the scope of the sentences before them and connecting notions between sentences Such inference making is necessary to develop a coherent representation or mental model of the text Oakhill stated that Comprehension skills need to be taught They don t just develop in all children 13 She called for changes in the way reading comprehension is approached Oakhill has had long standing research collaborations with Kate Cain Alan Garnham Nicola Yuill and others One of her widely cited longitudinal studies focused on associations between working memory inference making comprehension monitoring and reading comprehension in 8 to 11 year old children 14 The researchers found that each of these variables predicted individual differences in reading comprehension at all ages after controlling for vocabulary knowledge and decoding word reading skills Other work focusing specifically on children with fluent and accurate word reading who exhibit poor text comprehension failed to find a single underlying factor that would explain the children s reading difficulties 15 Books editCain K amp Oakhill J Eds 2008 Children s comprehension problems in oral and written language A cognitive perspective Guilford Press Cornoldi C amp Oakhill J V Eds 2013 Reading comprehension difficulties Processes and intervention Routledge Garnham A amp Oakhill J 1994 Thinking and reasoning Basil Blackwell Garnham A amp Oakhill J Eds 2013 Mental models in cognitive science Essays in honour of Phil Johnson Laird Psychology Press Oakhill J amp Beard R Eds 1999 Reading development and the teaching of reading A psychological perspective Blackwell Science Oakhill J Cain K amp Elbro C 2015 Understanding and teaching reading comprehension A handbook Routledge Oakhill J amp Garnham A 1988 Becoming a skilled reader Basil Blackwell Yuill N amp Oakhill J 1991 Children s problems in text comprehension An experimental investigation Cambridge University Press Representative publications editOakhill J 1982 Constructive processes in skilled and less skilled comprehenders memory for sentences British Journal of Psychology 73 1 13 20 https doi org 10 1111 j 2044 8295 1982 tb01785 x Oakhill J 1984 Inferential and memory skills in children s comprehension of stories British Journal of Educational Psychology 54 1 31 39 https doi org 10 1111 j 2044 8279 1984 tb00842 x Oakhill J V amp Cain K 2012 The precursors of reading ability in young readers Evidence from a four year longitudinal study Scientific Studies of Reading 16 2 91 121 https doi org 10 1080 10888438 2010 529219 Oakhill J V Cain K amp Bryant P E 2003 The dissociation of word reading and text comprehension Evidence from component skills Language and Cognitive Processes 18 4 443 468 https doi org 10 1080 01690960344000008 Oakhill J Hartt J amp Samols D 2005 Levels of comprehension monitoring and working memory in good and poor comprehenders Reading and Writing 18 7 9 657 686 https doi org 10 1007 s11145 005 3355 zReferences edit a b A Story in the Telling BBC News UK Retrieved 2020 10 22 a b c d Jane Oakhill Profile profiles sussex ac uk Retrieved 2020 12 02 Spearman Medal BPS www bps org uk Archived from the original on 2018 12 14 Retrieved 2020 10 15 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award winners Society for Text amp Discourse Retrieved 2020 10 15 2019 DSCA Winner Jane Oakhill Society for Text amp Discourse Retrieved 2020 10 15 Governing Board Society for Text amp Discourse Retrieved 2020 12 02 Discourse Processes Editorial Board www tandfonline com Retrieved 2020 12 02 a b c d I didn t leave it at that I talked to them about their reading The Psychologist thepsychologist bps org uk Retrieved 2020 10 22 Oakhill J V 1981 Children s reading comprehension Ph D thesis University of Sussex Oakhill Jane Johnson Laird P N Garnham Alan 1989 Believability and syllogistic reasoning Cognition 31 2 117 140 doi 10 1016 0010 0277 89 90020 6 PMID 2721132 S2CID 23308811 Garnham Alan Oakhill Jane Johnson Laird P N 1982 Referential continuity and the coherence of discourse Cognition 11 1 29 46 doi 10 1016 0010 0277 82 90003 8 PMID 7198951 S2CID 8636951 a b Oakhill Jane Four Do s and Don t s When Teaching Reading Comprehension blog amplify com Retrieved 2020 10 22 a b Prof Jane Oakhill EARLI 2015 Keynote Youtube Cain Kate Oakhill Jane Bryant Peter 2004 Children s Reading Comprehension Ability Concurrent Prediction by Working Memory Verbal Ability and Component Skills Journal of Educational Psychology 96 1 31 42 doi 10 1037 0022 0663 96 1 31 ISSN 0022 0663 S2CID 17531662 Cain Kate Oakhill Jane 2006 Profiles of children with specific reading comprehension difficulties British Journal of Educational Psychology 76 4 683 696 doi 10 1348 000709905X67610 ISSN 2044 8279 PMID 17094880 External links editFaculty Homepage Jane Oakhill publications indexed by Google Scholar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jane Oakhill amp oldid 1188538125, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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