Abstract
PurposeThis experimental study aimed to examine the effects of annotating a historical text as a reading comprehension strategy on student academic achievement in an eighth-grade social studies class.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data sequentially. First, the authors collected quantitative data with a series of pre- and post-tests from all student participants during a six-week instructional time frame. Next, the authors collected quantitative and qualitative data with a survey from teacher and intervention group student participants. Quantitative data were analyzed to evaluate the mean differences in participants' test scores and survey responses. Finally, qualitative data from open-ended survey questions were transcribed and analyzed using an inductive approach to supplement the quantitative findings and develop a holistic picture of the participants' learning experiences.FindingsThe results showed that the annotating strategy increased student engagement, reading comprehension and thus academic achievement in social studies. Annotating helped students visualize key points, break down complex texts and slow down when reading complex historical texts. As a result, it helped students focus, think critically and discourse to understand complex content.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted with eighth-grade students in one middle school in South Georgia.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide evidence that the reading comprehension strategy of annotating is a valuable teaching and learning tool for daily use in social studies classrooms.Social implicationsEducators must prepare students to use reading comprehension strategies such as annotating in all content areas and not only in a traditional academic setting.Originality/valueThis study adds to the current body of research and undergirds reading comprehension strategies used to improve the learning outcomes in content other than reading.
Highlights
The idea that “Every teacher is a reading teacher” is commonly accepted in the education world
Each of the five teachers (Teachers Z, Y, X, W and V) who participated in this study taught two sections of eighth-grade social studies classes
The results indicated a statistically significant difference between students who were in the intervention group classes (Group A) that used annotating and the control group classes (Group B) that used traditional instructional strategies
Summary
The idea that “Every teacher is a reading teacher” is commonly accepted in the education world. Convincing educators to use various reading comprehension strategies across other content areas to increase learning is not an issue. The challenge for teachers is to understand how to utilize purposeful reading comprehension strategies in instructional settings (Vaughn and Massey, 2019). It is important to teach reading comprehension strategies to recognize words and comprehend what the words being read mean; learning must go deeper than a connection between written words and the eyes identifying those words. Teachers must provide students with reading comprehension strategies that can be applied repeatedly in all learning settings. Macceca (2014) states, “Comprehension strategies best serve students when they are employed across the curricula and in the context of their actual meaning” Teachers must provide students with reading comprehension strategies that can be applied repeatedly in all learning settings. Macceca (2014) states, “Comprehension strategies best serve students when they are employed across the curricula and in the context of their actual meaning” (p. 4)
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