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?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
- Pre-test, Intervention, Post-test
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
- Elementary
- Special Education
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
78
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- pre- and post-questionnaires
- pre-/post-assessment
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
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