Abstract

The present study examined associations between individual differences and comprehension capabilities of secondary
school children when reading texts about science topics of varying levels of cohesion (i.e. low versus high
cohesion). We administered measures of learning after reading high and low cohesion texts (defined by repetition
of nouns and phrases) to 60 students (31 boys, 29 girls) and measured cognitive ability, facets of conscientiousness,
and science self-efficacy. Students achieved better learning from high cohesion text. High cognitive
ability was associated with good performance with both texts, whereas low cognitive ability was associated
with poor performance on low cohesion text. High science self-efficacy was associated with good performance
on both texts, low science self-efficacy was associated with average performance with the texts. Low dutifulness
(conscientiousness facet)was associated with poor performance on low cohesion text. These results have significant
implications for the design of science textbooks and potential teacher intervention strategies with the aim
of improving science education.