Reading Comprehension Competence Research Articles

Breaking the cycle of poor critical reading comprehension: A strategy-based intervention

Critical reading comprehension is a crucial skill for lifelong learning, but many learners struggle with effectively extracting meaning from texts. This study aimed to address this issue by investigating how a strategy-based instruction intervention could impact learners’ critical reading comprehension competence. The study employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test control group design. The participants were 155 Grade 9 English first additional language (FAL) learners from two high schools in Gauteng, South Africa. The intervention programme was based on Bloom’s taxonomy categories for learning, teaching and assessing, modified into six strategies: (1) knowledge (pre-reading), (2) comprehension (extracting meaning), (3) application (asking questions), (4) analysis (reflection), (5) evaluation (outlining key concepts and decision-making) and (6) synthesis (summarising). Using a two-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) paired sample t-tests, the study found that while both groups’ critical reading comprehension competence increased, the experimental group that received the strategy-based instruction intervention performed significantly better in the post-test, showing a significant improvement compared to the control group. The findings demonstrated that providing clear explanations, instruction and support on reading strategies can enhance learners’ critical reading comprehension, highlighting the mutual reliance between teaching and learning. The teacher’s instructional approach in guiding learners to effectively use reading strategies is crucial for enhancing critical reading comprehension in the English FAL classroom. In conclusion, the results suggest that the intervention effectively enhanced critical reading comprehension competence, and if implemented by teachers, it could potentially help break the cycle of poor critical reading comprehension among English FAL learners.Contribution: The contribution of this study lies in its provision of empirically supported perspectives and insights into the effectiveness of strategy-based instruction interventions. It emphasises the necessity of employing explicit reading comprehension pedagogies and targeted interventions, along with explicit instructional strategies, to address the reading comprehension challenges encountered by English FAL learners in South Africa and beyond.

The Effectiveness of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) in Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) in enhancing students’ reading comprehension. Pre-experimental research was applied in the form of one group pre-test/post-test design to understand the influence of CSR on the students’ reading comprehension. Study participants included 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in their second semester of study in the English Department of a West Java private university. This sampling was determined through purposive sampling. The data for the research question of this study was collected through two test instruments - a pre-test and a post-test - with each consisting of 50 questions in each test in the form of multiple choice and observation. Both tests contained questions based on the five indicators of Barrett's taxonomy: literal comprehension, reorganization, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation. The study applied a gain-score calculation in which the average N-gain score is 61.38. The results showed that the Sig. (2-tailed) value was 0.000 <0.05. Therefore, based on the decision-making criteria, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between learning outcomes in the pre-test data and post-test data. This means that the implementation of CSR is quite effective in enhancing the students’ reading comprehension competence.

The Relationship of Text Inference Abilities and Reading Comprehension in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives: Reading comprehension in school-age children is an essential ability facilitates acquisition of information from general education. Yet, even with average or above cognitive and word recognition abilities, children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HF-ASD) demonstrate difficulties with reading comprehension. The purpose of the this study was to investigate that identifying the reading comprehension competence with a focus on text inference abilities (coherence processing, metalinguistic, theory of mind) in children with HF-ASD in the lower grades of elementary school.Methods: 15 HF-ASD and 15 age matched typically developing peers (TD) participated in this study. The participants performed reading comprehension tasks and text inferencing tasks (coherence processing, metalinguistic, theory of mind).Results: First, the reading comprehension accuracy of the HF-ASD group was significantly lower than the TD group. Second, the text inference accuracy of the HF-ASD group was significantly lower compared with the TD group. Third, in the TD group, there was a significant correlation between all text inference abilities (coherence processing, metalinguistic, theory of mind) and reading comprehension competence. In contrast, in the HF-ASD group, there was a positive correlation between coherence processing, metalinguistic and reading comprehension competence; however no significant relationship was found between theory of mind and reading comprehension competence. Finally, the coherence processing task predicted reading comprehension competence of children with HF-ASD by 52.2% and TD children by 42.1%.Conclusion: This study suggests that supporting connecting information within a text, local inferencing, and focusing on the coherence processing intervention is necessary for reading comprehension of children with HF-ASD in the lower grades of elementary school.

Competence Level of B. Ed. First Year Students in Reading Comprehension

This study aims to explore the competence level of B.Ed. first year students in reading skill under Tribhuvan University. The data were collected by using two types of testing tools constructed from compulsory English text-book selecting two different reading passages. From the first, 14 objective questions were asked as multiple choice items which carried 14 marks; and from the other reading passage, 12 subjective questions were asked which carried 36 marks. The full mark of the test was fifty and the time allotted to conduct the test was an hour (60 minutes). Two campuses were the institutional samples and forty students from one and sixty students from the other were the samples for the study. Out of these hundred samples, 60 girls and 40 boys were selected proportionally. The marks obtained by the students in objective test item, subjective test item and total are the depended variables and the total number of students, the number of boys and girls are the independent variables. Through the study it was found that the students’ overall competence in reading comprehension was found around 50% in average. The reading competence they performed in objective test item was comparatively higher than subjective test item. In totality, the reading competence level of the boys was slightly better than the girls but the difference does not seem so significant.

Can readability formulae adapt to the changing demographics of the UK school-aged population? A study on reading materials for school-age bilingual readers

BackgroundDue to the increase bilingual population in the UK, it is imperative that reading materials are made accessible for them in and out of school. This study begins by reviewing literature on bilinguals reading comprehension competence, discussing findings and impact on limiting academic achievement. Much literature criticises readability formulae as a tool for grading reading materials. Readability formulae, for example, do not account for differences in reader's dialects and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, this study looks to identify those discrepancies and assess the effectiveness of two well-known readability formulae. It then compares these to a readability formula for bilinguals to identify any consistencies between outcomes, enabling identification of any categories or factors crucial in identifying the reading difficulty of texts for bilinguals not included in well-known readability formulae, specifically for school-aged children. Method20 randomly selected eBooks available for children aged 7-9 y were quantitatively evaluated using three readability formulae: Spache, Flesch-Kincaid and McAlpine EFLAW. FindingsBased on these results, it is inconclusive if the readability formulae are consistent with each other, as they did not appear to follow the same trend and assessed different criteria. Therefore, the findings suggest no readability formula used in this study can be confidently used on its own to successfully assess the readability of books to deem suitability for bilingual readers as it is paramount that non-text factors need to be incorporated when matching books for students. ConclusionsThis study concludes that a formula or a new set of criteria needs to be created which incorporates the salient factors affecting reading comprehension of bilinguals to best allow educators and authors to select and modify reading materials for this growing population, to increase accessibility academically, enabling best outcomes to be achieved.

Teaching Strategies and the Reading Comprehension Competence of Grade 7 Students

Reading comprehension plays a pivotal role in understanding the material at hand. Without this skill, readers would encounter difficulties comprehending what they read, ultimately impeding their academic performance. The study investigated the effectiveness of teaching strategies, including Vocabulary Knowledge, Context Clues, Identifying the Main Idea and Key Details, and Sequencing a Passage into Ordinal Series, to improve the reading comprehension competence of Grade 7 students. The initial scores on the pretest for all measures were relatively low, ranging from 1.98 to 2.66. However, the post test scores showed a significant increase, ranging from 3.47 to 4.58. The t-values for all measures were highly significant (p < .001), indicating that the improvements observed between the pretest and post test scores were not due to chance. The study included a sample size of 64 respondents, with 63 degrees of freedom for each measure. In summary, the results of the study indicated that the implementation of various teaching strategies resulted in significant improvements in all aspects of reading comprehension. The negative t-values demonstrate statistically significant enhancements in scores from the pretest to the post test. Moreover, the p-values (all less than .001) indicate that these improvements were highly unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. Therefore, it can be concluded that strategies such as reading aloud in the classroom, using the QAR strategy (Question-Answer Relationship), and incorporating contextual clues were effective in enhancing the students' reading comprehension competence.

Effectiveness of a Mixed Methods-Based Literacy Program in Improving Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary Mastery, and Reading Fluency Skills of Early Grade Students

Many young children still experience reading difficulties when they enter school age. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a mixed methods-based reading literacy program (computer-assisted reading, independent tiered reading, and group-based reading teaching) to improve reading comprehension skills, vocabulary mastery, and reading fluency among early grade students. The study used a quantitative approach with experimental research methods. A quasi-experimental design was used to achieve the research objectives by involving 350 elementary school students who were in the fourth to sixth grade range of elementary school. The sample selection in this study involved the purposive sampling technique using several criteria. The teachers involved in this study totaled 150 teachers from 8 schools who acted as program implementers at school. The reading literacy program was implemented for two semesters for five days each week. The research findings show that the mixed methods-based reading literacy program had a significant effect on all competencies (word reading efficiency, reading comprehension ability, and reading fluency) in Grade 3 students, but this increase in ability was not seen in grades 5 and 6 students. More specifically, the effect size of the intervention on oral reading fluency in Grade 3 students was greater than the effect size in Grade 5 students. Furthermore, the effect size in Grade 4 was greater than the effect size in grades 5 and 6. This is because the treatment of reading difficulties in younger students is easier and more effective than in older students. In addition, based on the results of the correlation analysis, the number of words read during reading activities using a computer had a positive relationship with word reading scores and visual word reading efficiency in the post-test phase. Therefore, mixed methods-based literacy programs have a significant impact on reading fluency, and on vocabulary mastery and reading comprehension competence and reading fluency. This research has implications in that improving reading ability in the early grades is better done by using a combination of methods, such as computer-assisted reading, independent tiered reading, and group-based reading teaching. In this way, the improvement of students’ reading skills is more optimal.

On the results of the reading comprehension competency assessment among first-year students of the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education

In the 2022–2023 academic year, in addition to the previously conducted mathematics competency assessment the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education also measured reading comprehension. The aim of the survey was to examine all the first-year students. However, due to the continuous air raids and upper respiratory epidemics, the initial plan to involve all the first year students could not be successfully completed. This age group was selected because after finishing school the maturity exam in Hungarian language measures the ability to comprehend a text. Thus, the results obtained provide a credible picture of the effectiveness of mother tongue teaching in schools, while also providing empirical data that outline the detailed components and possible causes of poor reading comprehension competence, which is a serious problem to be solved. Overall, the assessment of reading comprehension at the institution can be described as useful. Most of all, it can be seen as a pilot test the data of which can be used effectively in the coming years for the development of effective teaching methods and mother tongue teaching in schools, in particular. The obtained results revealed certain difficulties in reading comprehension and highlighted the necessity of these measurements at the level of higher education. After all, improving the reading comprehension skills of Hungarian schoolchildren in Transcarpathia is primarily the task of teachers, and not only of primary school teachers and Hungarian language teachers.

Peningkatan Keterampilan Dokkai (Pemahaman Bacaan) Menggunakan Metode Seidoku dan Tadoku Berbasis Capaian Pembelajaran

This study discusses using seidoku and tadoku methods in learning dokkai (reading comprehension) skills based on learning outcomes. This study was conducted by applying the action research method to improve reading comprehension competence. The research subjects focused on fourth-semester students of the Japanese Literature Study Program who took Shokyuu Dokkai (Basic Reading Comprehension) course. In its implementation, this research was conducted in two cycles of activities which included four stages, namely planning, action implementation, observation, and reflection. In the planning stage, the lecturer in charge of the course determines the learning outcomes of the course which are adjusted to the learning outcomes of the study program. Furthermore, at the implementation stage, learning activities are carried out in accordance with the Semester Learning Plan (RPS) that has been prepared. At this stage, the seidoku method is applied for structured learning activities, and the tadoku method for independent learning activities. At the observation stage, students' understanding of competence is observed and then analyzed. Finally, at the reflection stage, an evaluation of the shortcomings and strengths of the applied method is carried out to be able to design the next improvement step. Based on the formula for calculating the average (mean) of summative scores in two cycles and based on the evaluation of Shokyuu Dokkai learning activities, the use of seidoku and tadoku methods are effective in improving students' reading competence and comprehension.

Competence of Pharmacy Students in Reading Comprehension

The puropose of this research were to: 1) investigated the students’ competence in Reading comprehension at pharmacy department, 2) to find out the students’ problems in answer to reading questions. In this research used descriptive quantitative. The research used thirty students at Pharmacy Department at English Course. The data thorugh test. The results of this research show that their competence in reading comprehension was excellent (64%). Most of the students still problems to reading comprehension its show that many students are in fair level or 10 %and very poor level or 12%, its means that still students are less competence to comprehension of reading its cause the students are not understanding means of the questions, lazy for reading which make the students are over answers to avoid the mistake it’s show on results and analysis above. So, it can be conclude that the students at Pharmacy Department Universitas have competence in reading comprehension and the researcher still found that the some of the students are problem to comprehension of reading.

THE TEACHING OF READING COMPREHENSION MULTIMODAL TEXTS COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT STANDARDS FOR PHILOLOGY PEDAGOGICAL STUDENTS

The teaching competence assessment standards are a set of tools that contribute to the assessment of the teaching competence level of teachers. This article aims to unify the concept from which to develop the teaching reading comprehension multimodal texts competence assessment standards to meet educational innovation in general and competence development of the teachers in particular. The targeted object is the Philology pedagogical students trained to be Literature teachers. From the process of building competence assessment standards in general, combined with the scientific basis is the outcomes of several modules with content related to teaching reading comprehension activities and developing the teaching reading comprehension competence, the output standard of the university curriculum, the article synthesize and implement the process of building the teaching reading comprehension multimodal texts competence assessment standards for Philology pedagogical students. Through these competence assessment standards, this article builds the line of developed teaching reading comprehension multimodal text competence as a measurement tool for the level of the students’ teaching reading comprehension, contributing to supporting the assessment and evaluation of the teaching reading comprehension multimodal texts competence at the university.

Probing the Impact of the Eclectic Approach in the Reading Comprehension Competence of Basic Schools Pupils in Ghana: With Kuka Primary School in Focus

The paper caused an investigation into the causes of Kuka M/A Primary pupils’ inability to read comprehension passages and to sustain their interest in reading comprehension using eclectic approach. Literature was provided to support the study. Action research design was used in the study. A sample size of fifty (50) pupils was drawn from the entire school population for data gathering purposes. The instruments employed for the study were tests and observation while data were analyzed using frequency tables. The study revealed that lack of participatory activity in the classrooms, lack of pre-reading skills, absenteeism, and others were the causes of the pupils’ inability to read. The study further revealed that using an eclectic approach improves pupils’ performance in class. It became known that most of the pupils were now interested in reading comprehension passages very well because the lessons adopted the interactive activity-based approach. A number of recommendations were made to assist stakeholders of the school to make good use of this current study to improve upon their performance.

Effect of Gender on Morphological Awareness and Reading Comprehension Competence in Chinese Language: Evidence from the University of Cape Coast

Purpose: There are evidences that students studying Chinese language in Ghana find it difficult to read and form simple Chinese words using the Hànyǔ Pīnyīn system. Nevertheless, little is known of how gender influences morphological awareness and reading comprehension in Chinese language, as well as the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension. This study, thus, using a correlational research design, examined whether there is any difference between male and female students with respect to morphological awareness and reading comprehension, and the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension.
 Methodology: Employing the census sampling technique, a sample of 100 BA Chinese students at the University of Cape Coast was involved in the study. Morphological awareness and reading comprehension tests were used to collect data from the participants. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, two independent samples t-test and the Pearson correlation coefficient.
 Findings: The results showed that there were no significant differences between male and female BA Chinese students in terms of morphological awareness and reading comprehension. It was further revealed that morphological awareness is positively associated with reading comprehension in Chinese language. It was, thus, concluded that improved awareness of morphology would enhance reading comprehension competence of BA Chinese students at the University of Cape Coast.
 Recommendation: It was suggested that the Ministry of Education Ghana introduce Chinese language studies into the basic and high school education systems in Ghana to ensure pre-exposure of students to the language before they enter institutions of higher education.

The Needs of Elementary School Teachers in Literacy Learning on Reading Comprehension Competence

Learning will be effective if the teacher understands the needs of learning well. The purpose of this study was to explore the needs of teachers in literacy learning on reading comprehension competence in elementary schools. The method used in this research is exploratory qualitative which was conducted at the State Elementary School in Central Magelang Sub-District, Magelang City, Central Java Province, Indonesia. The results of the study indicate that there are several problems in literacy learning of reading comprehension competence so teachers need several learning innovations as solutions, namely in the learning model by combining problem-based learning models with the SQ3R model, in teaching materials by developing integrated teaching materials with innovative learning models, and on the assessment instrument by developing an assessment instrument oriented towards high order thinking skills (HOTS). The results of this needs analysis will be used to conduct further research as a form of literacy learning innovation in reading comprehension competence.

Contributions of the deixis clarified to the reading comprehension competence of the 6th graders

Deixis are generally expressed as words or phrases whose meaning changes depending on who is talking, who is listening, where and when it is spoken (I, you, here, there, yesterday etc.). Foreign language learners have difficulties in decoding deixis in reading and listening skills. Therefore, this study aims at discussing how well the 6th graders are able to comprehend deixis in a written discourse. In order to collect data, twenty-two students have divided into two groups with even numbers as control and experimental groups. The 6th graders in experimental group have been given three different written texts in which deixis are clarified in parenthesis just after the use deictic words whereas the 6th graders in control group have been given the same three different written texts without identified deixis. The data have been collected through the reading comprehension questions after each text used in both groups. The findings have been analyzed by the SPSS 22 version program and t-test. As a result, the analysis indicates that there is a significant difference between the graders in both groups. The 6th graders in the experimental group seem more successful in reading comprehension than those in the control group because of the deictic words clarified.

ENHANCING READING COMPREHENSION COMPETENCE: MODELS, STRATEGIES, TECHNIQUES, AND ACTIVITIES

This study propounds a conceptual framework of advancing reading comprehension competence (RCC) among University students majoring in bilingual pedagogy. The study arises out of a need to introduce learners to reasonable approaches to acquiring reading skills and provide them with a relevant practical guidance. The proposed methodology is multifaceted, since it is aimed at solving multiple tasks: helping students adequately understand and interpret English and American literature, obtaining knowledge of other cultures and patterns of life, feeling confident in an English-speaking environment when exposed to real-life communication, and respectively, acquiring proficiency necessary for future occupation. Specifically, the paper generalizes methods and techniques of improving RCC, presents basicreading comprehension (RC) models and strategies, and suggests a system of appropriate activities. The elaborated methodology of enhancing RCC is grounded on the underlying principles and model of the communicative and cognitive approach (O. Vovk). This approach is targeted at promoting students basic communication skills and cogitative faculties.

Item Analysis of Reading Comprehension Test: A Study of Test Scores Interpretation

<p>This study sheds lights on the effectiveness of multiple choice of reading comprehension test items in measuring learners’ reading comprehension competence. This study applies descriptive quantitative method of research that uses statistical analysis to measure the effectiveness of the individual test item. The study uses the theories of multiple-choice test type and Item Analysis (IA). The data were taken from multiple choice test type of reading comprehension test given to 51 freshman students attending Literal Reading class. The test had 31 numbers comprising the questions of Text A, B and C. The reading comprehension test items were measured by the procedure of Item Analysis using the Item Facility, Item Discrimination and Distractor Efficiency. The result of this study is there are 13 items in reading comprehension test which are in need to be reviewed by the teachers. It is needed to be revised since the test is intended to be put in the question bank and be used repeatedly for the future use.</p>

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (TPD) ON RECIPROCAL TEACHING STRATEGIES

There has been outcry over the inability of new and less experienced English teachers to apply strategies that could enhance students’ reading comprehension. Reciprocal Teaching Strategy (RTS) was therefore introduced via the teacher professional development (TPD to augment teachers’ competence in reading comprehension. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher professional development on reciprocal strategies among less experienced English language teachers in South East, Nigeria. The impact of reciprocal teaching has been continually established if the approach is properly carried under a guidance of an expert. Professional development has been a recognized management practice where teachers are trained to develop their professional and pedagogical skills that would effectively and efficiently enhance their teaching performance in class. Experimental research design was applied for this evaluation (pre-test-intervention-post-test approach) to determine the effectiveness of the strategy. A total of N=56 constitutes the sample size. Teacher survey questionnaire (TSQ) was the instrument for data collection. The result shows a significant improvement after the intervention. This paper therefore concludes that RTS is a good strategy to teach reading of comprehension to students. It also summarized that TDP is an effective strategy to improve the competency level of new and less experienced English teachers.

Does reading comprehension competence determine level of solving mathematical word problems competence?

This study aims to investigate the interaction between problem solving skills in mathematical words and reading comprehension. The method used is correlational by linking reading comprehension competence and ability to solve mathematical word problems. Participants were 300 children aged 9-10 (Grades 3 and 4) taken from 3 school clusters of low, medium and high categories from various aspects. Reading comprehension skills in text and children’s mathematical word problem solving performance are tested. The results showed that the ability to read comprehension had a very strong relationship with the ability to solve mathematical word problems. The ability to understand the relationship between words and words in a sentence that contains problems is crucial for students to solve mathematical word problems. The school cluster chosen also influences the level of children’s mathematical word problem solving ability and reading comprehension skills. From the results of this study, researcher recommend teaching reading and counting in elementary schools be carried out in an integrated manner.

Metodologías utilizadas por los profesores universitarios en la docencia y evaluación de la comprensión lectora

Durante los últimos años, en la Educación Superior se siguen empleando enfoques, modelos, estrategias, técnicas y metodologías diversas, pero ¿qué se sabe acerca de la efectividad de estas para la incorporación de la competencia genérica de comprensión lectora avanzada (CLA) en los planes de estudios de las instituciones universitarias? Para dar respuesta a esta pregunta de investigación se plantea el presente estudio de carácter descriptivo. Este se materializa en el diseño y la aplicación de un cuestionario ad hoc online para evaluar la CLA en Educación Superior, a una muestra accesible de 280 docentes de una universidad latinoamericana de la costa Caribe. Todo ello, mediante el análisis de la enseñanza, evaluación, y utilidad, además del conocimiento e interés en las competencias genéricas. En este sentido, los análisis realizados evidencian patrones diferenciales estadísticamente significativos en el uso de las estrategias instruccionales disponibles, de las técnicas, de los medios empleados y de las herramientas web existentes para garantizar la optimización de la CLA en función del departamento al que están adscritos. Se discuten las implicaciones para la mejora de la enseñanza y evaluación, así como las limitaciones y perspectivas futuras.