The validity of reading comprehension therapy materials.

This study examines the degree to which reading comprehension therapy materials measure reading comprehension. Thirty-six non-brain-damaged adults (18 females, 18 males) ranging in age from 55 to 75 years participated. They answered written multiple-choice questions from aphasia therapy workbooks before and after reading the paragraphs (n = 40) to which the questions related. Results showed that for each of four sets of workbook materials, subjects answered an average of 24% to 49% more of the questions after reading the paragraphs relative to the number they answered before reading the paragraphs. For questions that could not be answered using one's prior knowledge, subjects were more dependent on having to read the paragraph in order to answer the questions correctly. Based on binomial probabilities, at least half of the questions from 32/40 paragraphs were answered correctly at greater than chance levels without reading the related paragraph.