The Effectiveness of Workbooks in the Elementary School Reading Program

Abstract

WIDELY divergent viewpoints exist concerning the value of reading workbooks in the instruction al process of the elementary classroom. Oppo nents of the use of workbooks in the reading pro gram criticize them as busywork and claim it is impossible to meet the individual needs of child ren with this type of material. Proponents iden tify the workbooks as a near panacea for the ills of the entire reading program and claim that there are vast savings in teacher preparation time when the workbooks are used. Strangely, in education al literature there seems to be little middle ground between the two factions and even less re search evidence to support either viewpoint. To determine what objective evidence could be obtained regarding the advantages or disadvan tages of workbook or methods, a study was undertaken by this writer in 1959. With the approval of the Los Angeles Board of Educa tion, the objectives of this study were implement ed by staff members of the D iv is ion of Intruc tional Services and Elementary Education. * This research, therefore, attempted to m e a s u re the relative effectiveness of workbook and non-work book methods of follow-up activity through an an alysis of empirical evidence gathered in a highly controlled learning experiment. The ''workbook method was defined as a reading follow-up activity involving the use of a commercially published, consumable book design ed to accompany a specific basal reader. A non-workbook method was defined as a reading follow-up activity involving the use of materials designed and prepared by individual teachers for specific reading groups. The term follow-up, when used to describe apart of a lesson or type of reading material, was defined as a reading ac tivity designed to reinforce previous teaching and to afford practice for the pupil in specific reading skills.