THE SQ4R METHOD

SQ4R is comprehension activity used when reading content areas. Stands for survey, question, read, recite, relate, and review. 

1.      SURVEY

 When one surveys the chapter, they are trying to get an idea of what this chapter is about. The first would be to read the title of the chapter. If there is an outline of the chapter, review it. Then flip through the chapter and make note of the main divisions of the chapter. Most college textbook chapters follow an outline. For example, the main headings in our chapter on abnormal behavior may be the names of various mental illnesses. If something catches one's attention, take a moment to look at it. When one gets to the end of the chapter, one should read the chapter summary. Also, one could determine how many pages are in this chapter. This will give one an idea of how long to allow oneself to read this chapter. At this stage, it is a good idea to break down the chapter into various sections that can be read at one time. This is especially important for lengthy chapters.

2.      QUESTION

As one is surveying the chapter, start asking oneself questions one hopes to get answered in this chapter. For example, when reading this psychology chapter, one may question, "What is the difference between 'schizophrenia' and 'schizoid personality disorder'." One may also ask, "Are some disorders more common in adults than in children?" "Why is this?"

As you survey the text, ask a question for each section. Ask what, why, how, when, who and where questions as they relate to the content. Here's how you can create questions:

• Turn the title, headings or subheadings into questions.
• Rewrite the questions at the end of the chapter or after each subheading in your own words.

Write down your questions. Questions help you pay attention, understand the text better and recall the information more easily later on.

3.      READ

At this step, one will actually start reading the chapter. However, it is best if one also incorporate reciting and relating (see below). If one owns their own textbooks (or other reading materials), it is very helpful to highlight important information. Highlighting important information will save an incredible amount of time when preparing for tests since the key points will be immediately apparent.

Be sure to pay particular attention to any pictures, graphs, tables, or other diagrams and their captions. Contrary to what many students think, these things are not placed in chapters to take up space. These portions of the chapter are very important.

Keep focused on your reading. Helpful hints include:

• write down problems on paper to be handled later;
• schedule reading breaks every hour or half-hour if it is a difficult subject;
• make associations or visualize the information to make it more meaningful;
• do not take notes while reading;
• read aggressively, with the intent of getting answers, noting supporting details, and remembering major points;
• As you read, use a pencil to put check marks in the margin by important ideas. Be sure all your questions have been answered.
• Reread sections as needed. Be an active reader

4.      RECITE

After reading a paragraph or two, stop and ask oneself what one has read. There have been MANY, MANY times when I have read an entire page (or more) just to find out that I had no idea what I have read. Reciting after every paragraph or two, will prevent this from happening. If one is unable to adequately recite the material, one need to go back and read it again. An EXCELLENT way to be sure one has an understanding of this material is to ask themselves, "How could the instructor ask this information on the text?" Then the student should answer their own question.

When one encounters information that they are unable to understand on their own, they should write down their question. Then they should get that information clarified by either discussing it with other students or with the instructor.

5.      RELATE

Also, after one has read a relatively short amount of material, one should relate this material to other information one have already learned. One can relate the material to other information in the chapter, from previous chapters, from class lecture, and to incidents in your own life. For example, as one is reading about depression, one may compare the symptoms of depression to those of anxiety. Also, one may relate the information about depression in this chapter to information about brain neurochemistry learned in another chapter. One may also realize that the symptoms of depression listed in this book are the same as the symptoms of depression stated on a TV commercial.

6.      REVIEW

One should review the material numerous times throughout the semester. MINIMALLY, students should review the chapter five times.

1. As soon as they are done reading the material.
2. Before the next lecture.
3. Before reading the following chapter.
4. When reviewing for the test.
5. When reviewing for the final exam.

An excellent way to review the chapter is flip through the pages and read the material that has been highlighted. Additionally, concentrating on making sure that one thoroughly understand the information in the summary is very important.