A study question asks what you can conclude from groups that used different versions of the same material. First, name what changed between the groups and what researchers measured. Then ask what stayed the same, because what stays the same can't explain why groups differ. Use the results to predict only what the results support, without going beyond what was tested. Wrong choices often add claims about things the study never measured.
Hints
- Hint 1
Look at how each booklet spelled the dialect's sounds. What changed between the versions?
- Hint 2
Compare the pauses and misread words for readers of each booklet. What do those measures tell you about their reading?
- Hint 3
With identical stories and readers assigned by chance, ask what could explain the difference in reading.
Step-by-step
Compare the groups and draw a conclusion
Step 1Name the two groups
The borrowed spellings used the same letter for several distinct sounds, while the new spellings wrote those sounds differently. What are we comparing to complete the text? We're comparing readers using one spelling system with readers using the other, so let's see how each group read.
- Step 2
Explain the reading difference
The new-spelling group paused less often and misread fewer words, so it read more smoothly and accurately. Could the stories or readers explain the gap? The text says the stories in both booklets were identical, and readers were randomly assigned, meaning chance decided who got each booklet. Those checks make the spelling change a likely reason for the better reading.
- Step 3
Predict a small conclusion
How broad should the conclusion be? The words These findings suggest that call for a possibility the results support, not a guarantee for every reader. The choice uses may be easier to read and links that possible benefit to distinct sounds have distinct spellings. Choice C.