Effectiveness of the reflection-based reciprocal teaching approach for reading comprehension achievement in upper secondary school in Myanmar

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of the reflection-based reciprocal teaching (RBRT) approach for Myanmar upper secondary school students’ reading comprehension in English. In the RBRT approach, the main frame is based on the reflective teaching model for reading comprehension (Oo and Habók in Int Electron J Elementary Educ 13(1):127–138, 2020), in which the reciprocal teaching method (involving questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting) was applied. This study used cluster randomized trials. Two groups participated in the research: the experimental group, who were taught with the RBRT approach, and the control group, who were taught with traditional methods. Results showed that the RBRT approach has a strong effect on students’ English reading comprehension achievement. The experimental group increased its achievement on the posttest significantly, and the students’ results showed high effect size. It was also found that teachers’ reflection on the instructional context had a considerable impact on raising students’ reading comprehension achievement. The RBRT approach can be successfully applied in the classroom environment to develop students’ reading comprehension in English in Myanmar.