STUDY COACHING

READING TECHNIQUES. PQ4R-METHOD.

Reading. Understanding. Implementing.
WHY THE PQ4R-METHOD?

The PQ4R-Method (invented by Thomas und Robinson)1 is an effective method to read academic texts, like your
lecture notes and course books. The focus is on understanding the text and memorising its content rather than
on the speed of reading.

Understanding and thinking about what you read makes it easier to acquire knowledge! Therefore, PQ4R is a
good method to work on the script content and, together with your personal learning strategy, will help you to
apply your knowledge in your next exam.

”PQ4R“ STANDS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL STEPS YOU TAKE TO WORK THROUGH YOUR TEXTS.

Step 1: Preview
Step 2: Questions
Step 3: Read
Step 4: Reflect
Step 5: Recite
Step 6: Review

NEXT:
The method described is of course just a recommendation, not a must! Try it out and see how it goes. Based
on your experience, you can decide which path is right for you!

In the next document you can see how you can use the PQ4R method in a very practical way using a course
book excerpt from "Introduction to Social Work".

This can serve as a basis to try out active reading with a text or course book of your choice. - (see “Learning

by Doing!”) .

1
Thomas E.L. und Robinson H.A., Improving Reading in Every Class: A Sourcebook for Teachers, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.
Page 1 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

PREVIEW

This first step is to scan the course book and get a rough overview of how the chapters are structured. (How many
chapters? What topics?) and the content (What is it about?). These include e.g. guide through the study course
book, table of contents, overarching learning objectives, introductions to the chapters and their
summaries.

THIS CAN HELP: Get an overview of the selected section of text and see how it fits into the overall context
of the course book.

BY THE WAY: The following application examples refer to:

Chapter 1 from the course book “Einführung in die soziale Arbeit” (Introduction to social work).

EXAMPLE NOTES:

QUESTIONS
How many chapters has
the course book?
What is the overall
context?
(Overarching learning
objectives)
What (which section of
the text) is the focus of
this reading unit?
Embedding the text
section in the overall
context:
Learning objectives of
the text section:
ANSWERS
The script has 8 chapters.
History of social work, terms, functions and tasks as well as goals of social work, social work
science and research, reference disciplines, social work institutions, basics of methodical action
and classic methods, legal framework (welfare state), financing of social work, European
comparison, qualification paths to the profession , importance of professional role and fields of
work
Chapter 1 "Development of social work and social pedagogy" (contains: 8 pages, 3 sub-items)
The chapter is mainly about the historical background and the history of how social work
emerged. In the following chapters, the development of social work and how it became a
subject of science is described, in addition to defining terms, tasks and (current) meaning.
Reference disciplines, fields of work and possible qualification paths of social work are included
in this consideration. Chapter 1 creates a starting point for an overview of today's
understanding of social work.
Chapter 1 introduces the topic "Development of Social Work" and refers to its historical roots.
The emergence of the term "social work" is described and brought together to form a discipline.

Page 2 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
 STUDY COACHING

TIP: The overview of the text excerpt (Chapter 1) and its embedding in the entire course book can also
be designed as a mind map (diagram)!

EXAMPLE OF A MIND MAP (OVERVIEW):

Chapter 5: Legal
Framework & Funding
Chapter 4: Reference
Chapter 6: disciplines (educational
Institutions science, psychology,
sociology)

Chapter 7:
Social work as Chapter 3: Social work
a profession INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL
science + research
WORK

Chapter 8: Chapter 2:
Methods Term, functions, tasks

Chapter 1:
Development of social work
and social pedagogy

Further development of
child and youth welfare
Originating in the
to social pedagogy
care of the poor in
the Middle Ages

Further development of
Development of "social work"
adult care to social work
as a scientific discipline and
convergence of social work
and social pedagogy

Page 3 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

QUESTIONS

Under "Questions" questions concerning the text are phrased, these are basic questions the text should answer
or questions that the text evokes while reading.

In this step, it's helpful to think of structural questions that are applicable to each course book text or topic to
filter out important content. You can also phrase questions that the text evokes in you.

NOTE: It's not primarily about filtering out possible exam questions. However, this can be a useful
exercise elsewhere.

EXAMPLES FOR STRUCTURAL QUESTIONS:

1. On what topic does the text focus most?

2. Which core statements can be derived from the text?
3. Which technical terms and definitions are of particular importance?
4. Which examples to clarify the theories can be found in the text?
5. What content do I need to understand the text? E.g. : additional resources for: (additional
teaching materials, exchange with fellow students or the tutor)

READ

"Read" means to read the entire text carefully, especially with the aim of being able to answer the previously
worked out questions or to be able to formulate new questions.

Depending on the complexity and length of the text excerpt, it can be helpful to read the text several times.

Important passages in the text can be marked with regard to the formulated questions and key words can be
written out. The keywords and markings are also a good basis for creating a summary (later).

Page 4 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

NOTE: The learning objectives for chapter 1 also provide orientation as to which markings can be set
in the text (focus on content, facts, definitions of terms, keywords, etc.).

HOW IT WORKS:

STEP 1: Address questions from Step: “Questions“.

STEP 2: READ THE TEXT and identify important PASSAGES and KEYWORDS, MARK them.

STEP 3: Answer the questions from Step: “Questions“ with keywords.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS- EXAMPLES:

What is the main topic/focus of the text?

Answer: History and historical roots of social work. The origin of the term lies in the care of the poor in the Middle Ages. Two
lines have developed: child and youth welfare have been integrated into the term social pedagogy, adult welfare into the
term social work. In addition, with the further development, the scientific discipline of social work has emerged and
combines the theory and practice of both areas.

What core messages can be derived from the text?

Answer: The origin of social work goes back to the Middle Ages, when fighting poverty was the main focus. The scientific
discipline has developed and professionalized as a result of social change in various epochs (from industrialization through
the Age of Enlightenment to the present day). In the process, two sub-disciplines emerged (social pedagogics ->
children/adolescents and social work -> adults), which are reunited in today's understanding of "social work".

Which technical terms and definitions are most important?

Answer: Care of the poor, ordinances for the poor, industrialization, enlightenment, liberalism, bureaucratization and
institutionalization, social problems, "racial hygiene", social insurance, disability pensions, social work, paradigm shift,
social pedagogy, discipline "social work", profession

Page 5 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

Which passages include examples to illustrate theories?

Answer: no big case study, but individual explanations of the sub-points:

Example of the term poor relief:

One of the first forms of social assistance for people in need, forerunner of social work
− − Who is considered needy? -> Homeless, sick
− − How does the social assistance work? -> Distribution of funds (according to the Poor Ordinance), as "tackling the
causes" was seen in the "education" of the poor to work

Example of the term social security:

− − Introduction by Otto von Bismarck

− − Basis of today's social policy
− − First legal entitlement to assistance
− − Compulsory: health and accident insurance, old-age and disability pension

Which topics need additional resources for clarification/better understanding?

Answer: Example: Alice Salomon, why couldn't the professional term "social worker" prevail against "welfare care" and

"care" back then (1918)? What did these two terms mean?

REFLECT

The aim here is to think about the content of the text and to link what has been read with previous knowledge
and to develop associations with the key terms. You can also try to find examples or additional arguments for the
core statements. Critical questioning of the text is an essential component.

NOTE: In this phase, it can be helpful to think about possible fields of application for the content, to
establish references to practice, or to ask oneself how one can apply what one has read in one's (later) work
environment.

EXAMPLES OF USE:
Page 6 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

ASSOCIATION TO A TERM:

“Social Pedagogy”:

Who is the target group? children and young people. What kind of support did that mean? Development of
mainly financial support for support at the level of upbringing and education of children and young people and
also the design of institutions (e.g. youth welfare offices).

EXAMPLE FOR A CRITICAL QUESTION:

Regarding the section “NS Era – (Page 15f.):

What basic understandings, content and values underlie social work, social pedagogy and who defines these
values? How can a similar exploitation as in the Nazi era be prevented?

EXAMPLES FOR A PRACTICAL RELATIONSHIP/FIELD OF APPLICATION:

− The everyday life of a school social worker or the field of action of the youth welfare office
− People with disabilities often also feel the need to live a largely independent life. This is possible, for example,
in assisted living facilities. To what extent can inpatient accommodation, such as that in a dormitory, contribute
to inclusion? Or does it also represent a certain exclusion in parts?
− What are the consequences/consequences of the National Socialist era for social work?

RECITE

This step is about remembering and (freely) reproducing what you read – without accessing the text, the
markings or the key words you wrote down. It should be deliberately formulated in your own words and not
“copied” verbatim from the text.

TIPS:

1. If free reproduction is difficult for you, the text-related questions and learning objectives of the lesson can
help to formulate the core topics of the text.
2. If uncertainties arise at one point or another when writing, these "gaps in memory" can be marked. This
makes it easier to check and insert the corresponding wording afterwards with the course book.

Page 7 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

IT CAN LOOK LIKE THIS:

CHAPTER 1.1
Core topic History of the emerge of social work

Time (When did that From the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment/Industrialization to the present day.
happen?)
Keywords − Christianity and charity (Thomas Aquinas)
− Liberalism, social change, focus on human education (Rousseau)
− Trade unions and social insurance (Otto von Bismarck) and regulated framework conditions
for social assistance

CHAPTER 1.2
Core topic Distinction between the terms and meanings of social pedagogy vs. social work

Time (When did from the Middle Ages to the 20th century
that happen?)
Keywords Social pedagogy:
The term has only existed since the 19th century; it includes above all the aspect of the upbringing and
education of children and young people and includes many areas, like youth welfare.
Important personality:
Friedrich Fröbel -> founder of kindergartens

Social work:
Focus on the (new) target group of adults, due to the consequences of the First World War -> war victims,
unemployed etc.
Changing the objective: combating the causes instead of merely combating the consequences
Important personality: [??? possible memory gap]
After checking in the script here is the answer:
Alice Salomon - Women's rights activist, first proposal for the job title "social worker"

Critical Instrumentalization und Abuse during the Nazi era:

question Differentiation of people into eligible and unworthy and minimization of aid
The reconstruction/reorientation of social work after the war meant that institutionalization took place
and legal foundations were created: former Youth Welfare Act (today KJHG), legal entitlement to social
assistance, Federal Social Welfare Act, general striving for a "decent existence".

Page 8 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

CHAPTER 1.3
Core topic Merging of the terms of the discipline "social work" in modern times

Time (When did that Until today

happen?)
Main focus Growing criticism:
The aspect of upbringing plays a greater role for children and young people than for adults, but
only part of the assistance provided here.

− Therefore, social pedagogy was defined as a sub-area of social work.

− The sharp dividing line between the terms social work and social pedagogy is no longer up-to-
date.
− Merging of the terms into a profession of social work (since the 1990s) and the resulting joint
development of theory and methods

REVIEW

In this last step, all work steps are examined again. Are the text-related questions sufficient? Are they fully
answered? Have critical aspects of the text been clarified and is the content clear? Are all core elements named in
the step "Recite" ?

NOTE: As a result of the Review step, a short and concise summary can be prepared. This may also
include correcting or adding to what is written under "Recite". This way you can put it in a nutshell, that
will help with consolidating and connecting the content to your own knowledge.

IT COULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

Social work is historically rooted. It has its origins in the Middle Ages – in the care of the poor. However, social
change is accompanied by a development in the requirements for social assistance and services, which are
becoming more professional due to the growing influence of social movements and the increase in scientific
knowledge.

In addition to the introduction of legal regulations (e.g. Bismarck's social laws), important institutionalizations
(e.g. youth and social welfare offices) have significantly supported this development and contributed to the fact
that 2 sub-disciplines were able to develop - social work and social pedagogy.

Page 9 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021
STUDY COACHING

Although the two disciplines differ in their focus and responsibilities (social work: assistance for adults / social
pedagogy: services for child and youth welfare), they have recently been united under the convergence term
"social work" in their concern - to provide social support measures.

YOU WANT TO TRY IT OUT? – LET’S GO!

THE PQ4R METHOD AT A GLANCE!

HOW TO TRY IT OUT: LEARNING BY DOING!

Page 10 of 10
Misprints and errors reserved. Version 1.0 Date 26.04.2021