Progress In Reading Comprehension Research Articles

Formative assessment in artificial integrated instruction: delving into the effects on reading comprehension progress, online academic enjoyment, personal best goals, and academic mindfulness

This paper investigates the effects of formative assessment (FA) via artificial intelligence (AI) on EFL students’ reading comprehension development, online academic enjoyment, personal best goals (PBGs), and academic mindfulness. To achieve this, 80 Kuwaiti students were selected through convenience sampling and divided into the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). Pretests were conducted to assess the initial levels of the dependent variables. The EG received AI-based instruction through the Nearpod platform, while the CG received traditional face-to-face instruction. Both groups were taught ten reading passages, and post-tests were administered to measure reading comprehension progress, online academic enjoyment, PBGs, and academic mindfulness. ANCOVA test results revealed significant differences between the post-tests of the EG and CG, with the EG showing superior performance across all measures. These findings suggest that AI-based formative assessments can substantially enhance students’ academic and psychological outcomes, providing valuable insights for EFL instructors and material designers. Future research should explore the long-term effects of AI-based learning tools in diverse educational settings.

Analysis of the Impact of the Qaliwarma Program on the Academic Performance of Students in Primary Schools in San Roman Province, Puno, Peru

The research work had the general objective of analyzing the impact of the Qali Warma Program on the quality of life of students in primary educational institutions in the province of San Roman, the quantitative approach of non-experimental design was used, the study population and sample consisted of 80 parents of primary educational institutions in the province of San Roman, the results revealed that the satisfaction of students with the food provided by the program is neutral, with 56. 25% of parents perceiving it this way, 33.75% not very satisfied and only 10% very satisfied, likewise there is an increase in the number of approved students making a difference of 1336 students between the periods 2016 - 2023, and a reduction of disapproved students of 84, as a final conclusion it was determined that the Qali Warma Program has a moderate impact on the quality of life and academic performance of primary students in San Roman, with a majority of parents who perceive the program in a neutral way. However, the program has demonstrated success in improving academic performance and increasing the number of beneficiaries, contributing to the development of skills and progress in reading comprehension and mathematics.Feeding

Effects perceived by Vietnamese B1 EFL students of extensive reading on intercultural competence

Investigation of effective approaches for supporting students’ linguistic and intercultural competence in the process of learning English as an international lingua franca has generally been an issue of great concern for teachers and researchers in language education. The study considered how fiction reading and non-fiction reading supported students’ reading comprehension and fostered their self-perception of intercultural competence. The scaffolds were tested in a pretest-posttest design on 58 participants, and in a classroom-based setting. Two measurement instruments included a reading comprehension test and a questionnaire on students’ self-perception of their intercultural competence. Both groups made significant progress in reading comprehension. Fiction reading condition was also found to contribute to the higher self-perception of intercultural competence. Discussion of the pros and cons of the experimental design and suggestions for further research into extensive reading and speech act appropriateness are in the last part of the paper. The paper finally puts forward the suggestion that short literary texts of cultures around the world might be considered as one of the meaningful inputs in B1 EFL classrooms.

Students' reading comprehension level and reading demands in teacher education programs: the elephant in the room?

Reading comprehension is considered a key ability for students in teacher education programs. Data from 72 students enrolled in a Chilean school of education was used to estimate the contribution of reading proficiency in first-semester academic performance using regression analysis. Reading comprehension made a significant, albeit modest contribution to predict students' academic performance, after controlling for their scores in the standardized national admission tests and high-school grades. The students' average reading level was below the level of text complexity required in their first term and, although by their senior year they had made significant progress in reading comprehension, their reading level continued to be lower than text demands. A qualitative exploration of students' reading behaviors and attitudes revealed they devoted few hours per week to reading class material and even less time to reading for leisure. Faculty were cognizant of the reading deficits of their students but had few suggestions as to how to address. Future studies in higher education should confirm whether the misfit between reading proficiency and reading demands observed in this school of education is the exception or the rule.

The use of comic strips to improve the student's reading comprehension of narrative text (An Action Research at the Students of English for Teens Program in Language Learning Center)

This research presented the findings of a study aiming to investigate whether comic strips can help students to improve their reading comprehension skills in English. This research was conducted at the English for Teens Program in Language Learning Center with 21 students as the participants. The text in focus was narrative. This research used action research using Kemmis and Taggart's design, which consists of four steps: planning, action, observation, and reflection. The data were collected from observation and tests. The data observation has obtained the teacher and students' teaching and learning reading comprehension activities. Nevertheless, test results were collected from student tests in each cycle. It illustrates that despite some parts that need improvement, using comic strips can improve students' reading comprehension skills in narrative text. The portraits of students' progress in reading comprehension of the narrative text of some cycles show that in the first cycle, only 19% of students could reach the Value of 80 or more as the success criteria. In the second cycle, 100% of students successfully passed the test. Observation data shows that the students were encouraged to learn reading comprehension of narrative text using comic strips in group or individual works. Based on the study results, that comic strip is recommended to implement in other genres, especially narrative text or other language skills.

Differential effects of reading strategy intervention for three levels of comprehenders: Focus on text comprehension and autonomous reading motivation

The present study aimed to explore whether reading strategy intervention directed by the principle of gradual release of responsibility (GRR) improves students' Chinese reading comprehension and autonomous reading motivation (ARM) and whether the intervention effectiveness varies for low, average, and high levels of comprehenders in secondary schools. A 2 × 2 crossover experimental intervention was set up, involving 1688 students from 30 classes of six lower secondary schools in China. They were randomly assigned to exposure to GRR-directed reading strategy intervention and then conventional reading instruction, or in reverse order. Students in the experimental phase received GRR-directed reading strategy instruction for 18 class sessions, whereas those in the control phase received conventional reading instruction in equal time. Hierarchical data collected at pretest, posttest, and follow-up test were analyzed with multilevel modeling. The results indicated that GRR-directed reading strategy instruction significantly improved students' Chinese reading comprehension and ARM. However, this teaching approach facilitated low, average, and high levels of comprehenders to significantly different extents. During the intervention, low-level comprehenders made greater progress in reading comprehension and ARM than average-level comprehenders, while average-level comprehenders made greater progress than high-level comprehenders. These findings suggest that an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of GRR-directed reading strategy intervention requires consideration of different levels of comprehenders. Implications for reading teaching practice are discussed.

Formative Assessment Practices in Online Learning for Assessing the Junior High School Students’ Reading Comprehension

The development of students’ reading comprehension can be reached by implementing formative assessment during the reading instruction so that the teachers are able to monitor students’ reading comprehension progress and make a development. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the teachers faced a new learning situation namely online learning. However, conducting formative assessment for assessing students’ reading comprehension has to be conducted constantly. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the formative assessments practices by the teachers for assessing students’ reading comprehension in online learning, include the plan and its implementations. The implementations of FA were gained from teachers’ point of view. The study involved four junior high school English teachers at SMPN 7 Denpasar. The design of the study was qualitative study. The data were collected by using three methods namely document analysis, survey, and interview. The result of the study showed that there were several formative assessment methods that were planned and implemented by teachers. Those methods were categorized into self-assessment, peer-assessment, teacher-feedback, sharing an understanding of formative assessment goals, and varied assessment methods.

IMPLEMENTING RECIPROCAL TEACHING METHOD IN IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY

This research was designed to improve the students’ reading comprehension in English through the implementation of Reciprocal Teaching Method. The research employed a collaborative classroom action research design in which the researcher and the collaborative teacher worked together in preparing a suitable procedure of Reciprocal Teaching Method, designing the lesson plan, determining of the criteria of success, implementing the action, observing, and doing reflections. The subjects of this research were 40 students of Grade XI BHS 2 at MA. Nurul Jadid Problolinggo in the academic year 2019/2020. The data of this research were obtained through (1) observation sheet, to obtain information about teacher’s and the students’ activities and performance during the implementation of Reciprocal Teaching Method, (2) quiz, to identify whether the students had made progress in reading comprehension, and (3) questionnaire, to get information from the students whether the strategy applied could motivate the students to actively involve during the teaching and learning process. The result of the research showed that the Reciprocal Teaching Method in the teaching-learning of reading comprehension was effective in improving the students’ reading comprehension. The improvement was indicated by the increase of the students’ average score throughout the cycle of action that was 72.63 in the preliminary study; 79.88 in the test of Cycle 1. Besides, students were motivated and active in the class using the method in terms of learning to work together and to help each other in a group with different competence, which was showed by the result of their works.

Do Textbooks Matter for Reading Comprehension? A Study in Flemish Primary Education.

This study assessed whether textbooks affect academic performance and engagement in reading comprehension in primary education in Flanders (Belgium). The data of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2016 and a reassessment of this study in 2018 were used to describe students’ learning progress in reading comprehension and evolution in engagement between the fourth and sixth grade. The sample consisted of 3051 students in 98 schools. The averages of students’ learning progress and engagement were compared for five textbooks by using multilevel autoregression model and multilevel change score models. Contrasts between textbooks in average learning progress and engagement were also estimated. To control for differences between student populations that are educated with the different textbooks, we controlled for student’s socioeconomic status, language and initial academic performance in fourth grade at the student- and school-level. The main hypotheses were that textbooks affect learning progress and reading engagement. This was based on the literature and prior (mainly) cross-sectional research which describe textbooks as playing an important role in the curriculum that is taught to students on a daily basis. The results of both models showed that textbooks do not affect student’s average learning progress in reading comprehension and evolution in engagement between the fourth grade and sixth grade in Flanders. Hence, the hypotheses were rejected.

The Impact of Blended Learning on Medical Students’ Reading Performance in a Saudi University

This study examined the effect of an extensive reading online program implemented in a blended learning format to increase students’ reading comprehension. The participants were Saudi freshmen students in a medical university, and the data were collected from two sources: pre- and post-test scores and an open-ended questionnaire. The results indicated students’ significant progress in reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge in the post-test stage. Similarly, students had positive attitudes and experiences after the intervention toward learning reading. Students reported that the extensive reading online program helped them to read more efficiently with maximum comprehension and work at their pace to develop their learning skills. It also was found that extensive reading created a motivating environment for learning. Students changed their views of reading as solely as an academic activity into seeing it as a personal interest and a lifelong learning activity. Finally, the study offered some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research that will help teachers attempting to improve students’ reading comprehension via blended learning modes.

Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension Using Pictuures On Report Texts

Abstract. The objectives of this research was to find out the whether using picture in improving students reading ability for the eleventh grade students of MA NW Pringgasela is effective and to find out significant differences in the reading skill between the students who were tauhgt by using picture and those who are not taught by using it.This research was an experimental research. The participant of the research were the tsudents of the eleventh grade of MA NW Pringgasela. Class Xia as an experimental group and class Xib as a control group. The research instrument used by the wriiter was in the form of reading comprehension test. The data in this research were mainly gathered through the test pre-test and post-test. The pre-test was administrated to see the student’s ability in reading comprehension before using picture were used. The post-test was administrated to see the student’s progress in reading comprehension. After the data was collected, the researcher then analyzed them by using t-test to see whether there was any significant difference in reading comprehension after using picture were aplied.in teaching reading to students of MA NW Pringgasela eleventh grade Xia and Xib. The mean score of experimental group in pre test was 61.5 while the mean score for the control group was 61.1. meanwhile, after using picture on report text The findings of the research show that first using picture was effective to be used were used, their reading skill got improved. It can be inferred from the result of the students post test. In the post test, the mean score for the experimental group changed to 79.5. The t-test showed a significantt difference in teaching reading after using picture on report text. Finally, it could be concluded that using picture was good in teaching reading on report text, and the use of it could improve the students’ ability in reading. Teachers can use it as a media in teaching reading. It can also give information for readers and become reference for other researchers

Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension Using Pictuures On Report Texts

Abstract. The objectives of this research was to find out the whether using picture in improving students reading ability for the eleventh grade students of MA NW Pringgasela is effective and to find out significant differences in the reading skill between the students who were tauhgt by using picture and those who are not taught by using it.This research was an experimental research. The participant of the research were the tsudents of the eleventh grade of MA NW Pringgasela. Class Xia as an experimental group and class Xib as a control group. The research instrument used by the wriiter was in the form of reading comprehension test. The data in this research were mainly gathered through the test pre-test and post-test. The pre-test was administrated to see the student’s ability in reading comprehension before using picture were used. The post-test was administrated to see the student’s progress in reading comprehension. After the data was collected, the researcher then analyzed them by using t-test to see whether there was any significant difference in reading comprehension after using picture were aplied.in teaching reading to students of MA NW Pringgasela eleventh grade Xia and Xib. The mean score of experimental group in pre test was 61.5 while the mean score for the control group was 61.1. meanwhile, after using picture on report text The findings of the research show that first using picture was effective to be used were used, their reading skill got improved. It can be inferred from the result of the students post test. In the post test, the mean score for the experimental group changed to 79.5. The t-test showed a significantt difference in teaching reading after using picture on report text. Finally, it could be concluded that using picture was good in teaching reading on report text, and the use of it could improve the students’ ability in reading. Teachers can use it as a media in teaching reading. It can also give information for readers and become reference for other researchers

Students´ reading ability moderates the effects of teachers´ beliefs on students´ reading progress

Teachers’ beliefs about teaching have been found to affect students’ learning growth. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of teachers’ constructivist and direct-transmissive beliefs on learners’ reading progress and whether these effects are influenced by prior student achievement. We measured constructivist and direct-transmissive beliefs of 29 teachers and the progress in reading fluency and reading comprehension of their students (N = 568) at eight points of measurement over one school year. Results of three-level latent growth curve modeling revealed that teachers’ constructivist beliefs were positively related to learners’ progress in reading fluency but had no general effect on growth in reading comprehension. Nevertheless, the relation between constructivist beliefs and individual learners’ progress in reading comprehension was affected by students’ level of ability. Teachers with stronger constructivist beliefs effected higher learning growth for high ability compared to low ability learners. No effects were found for direct-transmissive beliefs. Using longitudinal modelling of student learning, this study adds a more differentiated view to findings concerning the effects of teacher beliefs. Results show that effects vary depending on subject of learning (fluency vs. comprehension), and that effects of teacher beliefs may depend on students’ level of ability.

Effects of PowerPoint Presentations on Reading Comprehension of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Iranian Exceptional High Schools

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the role of PowerPoint presentation on reading comprehension of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students in schools. Based on different studies, PowerPoint, a common multimedia tool, has a crucial role in teaching and learning through providing a suitable understanding of the text and motivating students. The present study aimed to examine the predictive effects of PowerPoint presentations on reading comprehension of D/HH students. As reported in the literature, reading levels of deaf high school students are equal to those of fourth grade hearing students. Therefore, a visual computer-mediated approach was implemented to monitor the reading comprehension progress of 20 D/HH students in Iranian high schools. The reading comprehension of the experimental and control groups were compared by conducting the Stanford Achievement Test and applying paired t-tests. Our findings indicated a significant difference between the mean reading comprehension scores of the two groups.

The use of online annotations in reading instruction and its impact on students’ reading progress and processes

AbstractStudies suggest that the incorporation of online annotations in reading instruction can improve students’ reading comprehension. However, little research has addressed how students use online annotations in their reading processes and how such use may lead to their improvement. This study thus adopted Reciprocal Teaching (RT) as an instructional framework to support students’ reading comprehension progress and processes, facilitated by the use of online annotations. A total of 54 English language learners at a university were recruited to read with online annotations based on the RT procedure, namely predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing. The data collected included the students’ scores on pre- and post-tests and their participation records in a collaborative learning environment. The results reveal that the students enhanced their reading comprehension after the intervention. Their reading processes were also analyzed, and the major differences between the groups making more and less progress were identified. Those who made more progress not only frequently reviewed their previously generated predictions, clarifications, questions, and summaries but also actively provided feedback to their peers in a reciprocal manner. Pedagogical implications and recommendations are discussed.

The role of phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge in the reading development of children with intellectual disabilities

Our study investigated if phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge were predictors of reading progress in children with intellectual disabilities (ID) with unspecified etiology. An academic achievement test was administered to 129 children with mild or moderate ID when they were 6–8 years old, as well as one and two school years later. Findings indicated that phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge at 6–8 years of age predicted progress in word and non-word reading after one school year and two school years after controlling for IQ, age, expressive vocabulary, spoken language, and type of placement. Phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge at 6–8 years of age also predicted progress in reading comprehension after one school year and two school years. These findings suggest that training phonological awareness skills combined with explicit phonics instruction is important to foster reading progress in children with mild and moderate ID with unspecified etiology.

Developing a universal reading comprehension intervention for mainstream primary schools within areas of social deprivation for children with and without language-learning impairment: a feasibility study.

Some children in areas of social deprivation in Scotland have lower reading attainment than neighbouring children in less deprived areas, and some of these also have lower spoken language comprehension skills than expected by assessment norms. There is a need to develop effective reading comprehension interventions that fit easily into the school curriculum and can benefit all pupils. A feasibility study of reading comprehension strategies with existing evidence of efficacy was undertaken in three mainstream primary schools within an area of social deprivation in west central Scotland, to decide whether further investigation of this intervention was warranted. Aims were to measure comprehension of spoken language and reading via standardised assessments towards the beginning of the school year (T1) in mainstream primary school classrooms within an area of social deprivation; to have teachers introduce previously-validated text comprehension strategies, and to measure change in reading comprehension outcome measures towards the end of the year (T2). A pre- and post-intervention cohort design was used. Reading comprehension strategies were introduced to staff in participating schools and used throughout the school year as part of on-going reading instruction. Spoken language comprehension was measured by TROG-2 at T1, and reading progress by score changes from T1 to T2 on the WIAT-II(UK) -T reading comprehension scale. Forty-seven pupils in five classes in three primary schools took part: 38% had TROG-2 scores below the 10(th) centile. As a group, children made good reading comprehension progress, with a medium effect size of 0.46. Children with TROG-2 scores below the 10(th) centile had lower mean reading scores than others at T1 and T2, although with considerable overlap. However, TROG-2 did not make a unique contribution to reading progress: children below the 10(th) centile made as much progress as other children. The intervention was welcomed by schools, and the measure of reading comprehension proved responsive to change. The outcomes suggest the reading intervention may be effective for children with and without spoken language comprehension difficulties, and warrants further investigation in larger, controlled, studies.

The Effect of Explicit Reading Strategy Instruction on Reading Comprehension of Upper Primary Grade Students

This article describes a quasi-experimental study that adopted a pre-test-post-test design with a control group to examine the effect of an explicit reading strategy instruction on students’ reading comprehension. Two intact eighth grade classes were randomly assigned into an experimental (n=33) and a control (n=32) condition. The experimental class was explicitly taught to use REAP reading strategy for 10 lessons, and students’ reading comprehension progress during each lesson was evaluated. The control class was taught using the regular method of teaching reading for 10 lessons, and their reading comprehension progress in each lesson was assessed using open-ended item worksheets. The reading comprehension performance of the two groups was measured both before and after the experiment (separate pretest and posttests). Analyses of the pretest-posttest reading comprehension scores revealed that the experimental class significantly outperformed the control class. Analyses of students’ reading comprehension progress in each of the lessons also indicated that those in the experimental condition demonstrated consistent improvement in their reading comprehension scores than those in the control condition. The findings suggest that explicit reading strategy instruction is effective in enhancing reading comprehension of upper primary grade students with limited prior experience of utilizing reading strategies.

Linear and nonlinear growth models for value-added assessment: an application to Spanish primary and secondary schools’ progress in reading comprehension

Value-added models are considered one of the best alternatives not only for accountability purposes but also to improve the school system itself. The estimates provided by these models measure the contribution of schools to students’ academic progress, once the effect of other factors outside school control are eliminated. The functional form for the growth of students’ performance is a key aspect to be considered when calculating value-added estimations, and, in this regard, there are several reasons that might suggest a nonlinear growth trajectory over time. This aspect is especially important when a variable such as reading comprehension is analyzed, since this is a skill in which nonlinear progression can be expected. This paper focuses on this issue and proposes to estimate schools’ value-added under nonlinear growth models where changes in performance follows a quadratic trajectory, analyzing differences in results with respect to those provided by linear growth models. To illustrate this point, the value-added in reading comprehension was estimated for three parallel cohorts that collect data from 153 primary and secondary schools in Madrid (Spain) and 6,755 students who were assessed at four different times during the academic years 2005–2006 and 2006–2007. Different models have been calculated using hierarchical linear models. The results show that nonlinear growth models fit better. Additionally, the inclusion of the students’ individual and family characteristics in the model provides more accurate VA measures for schools. Finally, it could be noted that the value-added is a relative magnitude that depends on the reference set.

Implementing online question generation to foster reading comprehension

<blockquote>Many studies have concluded that question generation has a positive effect on students' reading comprehension. However, few studies have delineated how students generate questions from a text and what processes are involved in question generation. This study aims to investigate how the question generation processes improve students' reading comprehension, using an online question generation system including the organisation, composition and peer assessment modules. 19 out of 106 non-English major college students were recruited as participants. They were required to complete question generation tasks in the organisation, composition and peer assessment modules. Students' scores on the pre- and post-tests, action logs in the online question generation system, and interview transcripts were collected and analysed. In a micro view, results of this study indicated that college students who showed more progress in reading comprehension demonstrated similar question generation patterns. In the organisation module, those who made more progress had a higher frequency of adding new vocabulary, sentences, and main ideas and editing their previously organised information. In the composition module, they had a higher frequency in reviewing the previously organised information from a text to generate questions and in editing the organised information. In the peer assessment module, those who showed more progress were much more active in viewing peers' questions, providing comments on peers' questions, reading and responding to peers' comments on the questions. In a macro view, the intensive engagement and the actions of editing to retrieve the organised information to compose the online questions and reviewing peers' questions online were found to be critical factors for enhancing students' reading comprehension.</blockquote>