International Journal of Education and Psychological Research

(Print and Online Peer Reviewed Journal)


Print - ISSN: 2349 - 0853
e - ISSN: 2279 - 0179

VOLUME 8 - ISSUE 1

(March 2019)

Towards a Hierarchy of Inferences: Are Some Inferences more challenging for second language readers?


Authors: Jane Kembo

Pages: 1-6

Abstract:

Readers make several inferences in the course constructing texts and meaning in both written and spoken texts. While some inferences seem easier to make, others call for more cognitive processes to arrive at logical conclusions and most of the process is subconscious. The study was explored whether some inferences were more difficult than others to make for SLreaders. Could we identify a hierarchy of inferences? Using culturally familiar and unfamiliar texts we tested pronominal, pragmatic, textually explicit and textually implicit inferences in 8 secondary schools in Kenya with learners in their final year. There were 40 questions for each inference category. The results of the test show that in terms of difficulty judgement, only the pronominal inferences seemed to be the easiest. Performance showed that there is a hierarchy inferences. Ability to make one type of inferences varies in readers and judgement of question difficulty is not well developed.