Swimming in shallow waters promoting deep comprehension through strategy instruction.

Abstract

This study investigated whether a semester of instruction that emphasized the processes used to strengthen comprehension, while simultaneously teaching structures to assist in teaching those same processes, would improve the comprehension abilities and ultimately the teaching effectiveness of preservice teachers. Formative assessment results indicated pre-service students lacked the ability to answer higher-level comprehension questions and knowledge of the strategies good readers use to improve comprehension. Summative results concluded that pre-service teachers participating in the study improved their ability to respond thoughtfully to texts and clarified their understanding of what effective readers do to enable deep comprehension.

Reference

Modla, V., McGeehan, C., & Lewinski, K. (2014). Swimming in Shallow Waters Promoting Deep Comprehension through Strategy Instruction. Journal Of Reading Education, 39(3), 22-28.

Journal

Journal of Reading Education

Analysis

Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

Research Approach

Pre-test, Intervention, Post-test

Geographic Setting

not stated

Institutional Context

not stated

Certification Level

Elementary

Programatic Focus

Elementary
Special Education

Research Location Context

University

Preservice Participants

Undergraduates (university based program)

Preservice Sample Size

Duration of Data Collection

2 years

Data Sources

pre- and post-questionnaires
pre-/post-assessment

Data Analysis Tools

Paired T-test

Researcher Positionality

not stated

Research Questions

Do teacher candidates tend to respond thoughtfully to text?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

Does learning about the structures of narrative and expository text in conjunction with other comprehension skills and strategies improve the comprehension abilities of teacher candidates?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

3) Do teacher candidates recognize a reasonable range of metacognitive strategies that skilled readers are expected to use in their own comprehension?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

4) Does learning about metacognitive strategies and how to teach them improve their knowledge of what skilled readers do before, during, and after reading to monitor their understanding?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes