ABSTRACT
Perhaps Thorndike (1917) is primarily to blame for our preoccupation with questioning. His classic study contributed substantially to the notion that comprehension and learning from texts could be derived by questioning. The study was designed to illustrate that even though students could read text aloud accurately, they did not necessarily understand the facts or the principles expressed in the material. By using questions to measure comprehension, Thorndike not only provided the basis for a widely adopted research method but also the most common format in the development of standardized tests of reading comprehension. Asking questions during and after reading became prevalent practice for assessing comprehension during reading instruction and, over time, the accepted strategy for fostering comprehension (Allington, 1983).
