Purpose instructions and task models in multiple-text reading

Background: Purpose instructions are widely used to guide learning from texts and influence learning outcomes; however, how students interpret these instructions, specifically through the construction of task models (i.e., mental representations that guide why and how to read), and how these interpretations shape reading processes and products remain underexplored. Aims: This exploratory study examines how purpose instructions influence students' task model construction, reading processes, and learning outcomes in a multiple-text reading context. Grounded in the MD-TRACE framework, task models are defined as students’ self-generated reading goals and planning strategies. Sample: Participants were 75 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course at a public university in the northeastern United States. Methods: Students were randomly assigned to one of four purpose instruction conditions (understanding, quiz, essay, or presentation) and asked to read four complementary texts on natural selection. Task models were captured through open-ended responses; cognitive processing was assessed using think-aloud protocols; and learning was measured via a post-reading transfer test. Results: Results reveal that while purpose instructions shape task model complexity, substantial variability exists even within instructional conditions, highlighting the role of individual interpretation. Regression analyses indicate that task model components (e.g., rereading, writing goals) and reading processes (e.g., paraphrasing, bridging) significantly predict transfer performance. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of task model construction in the contexts of learning from texts, highlight the need to explore factors influence students’ task model construction, and provide new insights into how purpose instructions affect reading processes and products.