ABSTRACT
Learning from multiple perspectives is influenced by both the textual material and the reader’s strategies. One text structure, dual-position texts, can be a vehicle for fostering thinking about two opposing views on an issue, appropriate strategy use, and a developing of a balanced understanding of multiple perspectives on controversial issues. In the context of a classification system for expository texts addressing multiple perspectives, dual-position texts are considered neutral (i.e., with the intent to inform, not persuade), two-sided, nonrefutation texts. The strategies readers apply while learning from dual-position texts occur in the context of the automatic and strategic processes associated with reading comprehension, such as epistemic validation. These processes can influence how readers engage, comprehend, and are persuaded by dual-position texts. However, optimal learning of multiple perspectives from dual-position texts varies as a function of complex, interactive variables such as text features, knowledge, contexts, and beliefs. This chapter synthesizes work in this field to create a more coherent frame for research and practice.
