The Effects of Instruction Using Graphic Organizers on Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Graphic organizers have been highly recommended as an instructional tool in teaching reading. Many studies have indicated their effectiveness; it has also been suggested that organizational patterns within texts play an important role in how readers process information. This paper investigates the effects of graphic organizers instruction on middle school students’ reading comprehension. It also searched for any potential relationships between different text structures and the use of graphic organizers. The performance of a group using graphic organizers with five different text structures was compared to that of a control group. The results of the data gathered over 10 weeks revealed that both groups improved in their post-tests, but the graphic organizers group performed significantly better than the non-graphic organizers group. This study also revealed that diverse learners could benefit from the use of graphic organizers, which suggests the effectiveness of implementing graphic organizers instruction in an EFL classroom.