Graphic and semantic organizers as cognitive strategies in reading instruction

Abstract

The present article extends prior research on graphic and semantic organizers principally applied as a reading strategy. Visual representation of information in a text and graphic and semantic organizers refer to different approaches to reading from the traditional, linear text representation. Research demonstrates that powerful metacognitive strategies can be taught to help students monitor and improve their own reading comprehension. This study constitutes an attempt to shed light on the research evidence regarding the effectiveness of graphic and semantic organizers on text learning. As such, it highlights the nature of reading comprehension, various strategies applied in the process of teaching reading, and examples of graphic and semantic organizers for classroom applications.