THE IMPACT OF ELLIPSES ON READING COMPREHENSION

Abstract

This study aimed to detect the extent to which comprehending elliptical structures predicted reading comprehension. The study utilized a correlational survey model, and participants involved a total of 173 middle school students. Data were collected through two different tools based on the same text in 2019. The ellipsis comprehension test consisted of 40 items that included various types of elliptical structures present in the text. These items were in the form of fill-in-the-blanks. The reading comprehension test that was developed based on the same text comprised 21 items in the form of multiple-choice items. The tests were administered to the participants every other day. During the data analysis, a simple linear regression analysis was performed to reveal the extent to which the ellipsis comprehension ability predicted reading comprehension, and a multiple linear regression analysis was employed to reveal the extent to which the sub-dimensions of ellipsis comprehension ability predicted reading comprehension. Enter method was used in the regression analysis. Findings showed that ellipsis comprehension was a significant predictor of reading comprehension. The elliptical sub-dimensions predicting reading comprehension the best appeared to be the ellipses in the form of verb, object and determinative units. However, it was also found that ellipses in the form of subject and indirect object did not significantly predict reading comprehension.

Keywords: Ellipsis, reading, comprehension, cohesion, narrative.