Q & A as a Reading Strategy

 Forming questions and then reading to find the answer is a very effective reading strategy.  Many Psychology textbooks have started to include questions at the beginning of each section to guide your reading.  Learning objectives in the form of questions at the beginning of chapters do the same thing.

You can do this on your own.  It is especially effective in textbooks that do not have a lot of guidance for the reader.  Here is what to do:

1. Take the bold print heading and turn it into a question.  You can do so by following the news reporters guide - add "Who, What, Why, When or Where"  to the heading.
2. Read to find the answer
3. To expand on this, you can write the question and then write your answer.

 The interesting thing is that even if the section does not answer your question, your reading focus and comprehension is still improved because you were looking for the answer.  If this happens, go back and rephrase your question after reading and then answer it.

Here are some examples from a History chapter about the Enlightenment:

Heading: The Popularization of Science

Question: How did Science become popular?  What happened?

Heading: The Legacy of Locke and Newton

Question:  Who were Locke and Newton?  What did they do?  Why were they famous?

Heading:  The Impact of Travel Literature

Question:  What is Travel Literature?  What was its impact?

Happy reading and learning!