글 이해 과정에서 작동하는 독자의 응집성 기준에 관한 개념적 고찰

초록

In this study, we theoretically examined the concept of “standards of coherence” and the ways in which they operate in text comprehension. First, we clarified the term “coherence,” which is often conceptually confused with the related term, “cohesion.” Then, we distinguished between textual coherence and mental model coherence to lay the foundation for discussing the standards of coherence. Building upon the notion of readers’ mental model construction, we attempted to offer a theoretical account of the standards of coherence working as a comprehension goal before reading, a comprehension criterion for monitoring one’s understanding during reading, and a mechanism for switching between passive and reader-initiated processing of text. Herein, we describe the multifaceted and complex nature of how standards of coherence operate in reading with three different scenarios. These scenarios represent the workings of readers’ standards of coherence as inter-individual differences and the contextuality and flexibility of standards of coherence as intra-individual differences. Based on this conceptual exploration, we suggested theoretical and educational implications for reading education, reader development, and instructional strategies. The significance of this study lies in expanding the horizon of reading education in Korea, introducing a new and useful concept of readers’ standards of coherence, and initiates relevant conversations that will lead to further theoretical and empirical examinations, and ultimately, to best practices in reading education.

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