Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Foundations of Reading Practice Exam

Schema in reading refers to what?

1. The ability to summarize information

2. The prior knowledge and experiences a reader has

3. The steps taken to analyze a text

4. The layout and structure of a text

The correct answer is: The prior knowledge and experiences a reader has

Schema in reading refers to the prior knowledge and experiences a reader brings to the text. This concept is critical because it influences how readers interpret and understand what they read. When readers encounter new information, they relate it to their existing schemas — the mental structures that help organize and store knowledge. This means that a reader's background knowledge can enhance comprehension and retention of material, as they can make connections between what they already know and the new content. In contrast, summarizing information, analyzing a text, or understanding a text's layout and structure are specific skills or tasks that a reader performs but do not encapsulate the broader concept of schema. Schema plays a foundational role in comprehension as it prepares the brain to assimilate new information based on what is already understood.