Comprehension Strategy Use During Peer‐Led Discussions of Text: Ninth Graders Tackle “The Lottery”

Abstract

This article reports and discusses the findings of an initial inquiry into secondary school students' comprehension strategy use during small‐group, peer‐led discussions of literary text. One classroom of ninth‐grade English students in the midwestern United States participated in the inquiry. Data consisted of the verbatim transcripts of four small groups of students in the class who engaged in discussions. Two research questions were explored: Is there evidence of comprehension strategy use during students' small‐group, peer‐led discussions of text? If so, what is the nature of students' comprehension strategy use? The transcripts were coded with an instrument derived from research‐validated comprehension strategies cited in the literature. The data revealed evidence of students' use of multiple comprehension strategies.