Reading Comprehension Strategies Research Articles

The teacher’s role in teaching reading comprehension skills to Grade 9 English Home Language learners

Background: The high number of poor-performing learners in reading comprehension in South African schools is a concerning factor that calls for studies to mitigate this problem. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 2021 indicates that about 81% of South African Grade 4 learners who participated, failed to reach the required benchmark in the test. Research indicates that teachers are not conversant with theory and explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the role played by teachers in developing Grade 9 learners’ reading comprehension skills in English Home Language and establishing which reading comprehension skills and strategies are taught to learners.Method: This study used a qualitative approach. Four data sets were utilised to collect data including a document analysis, a questionnaire for learners, interviews with teachers of English and lesson observations.Results: The findings of the study show that there is little guidance on how to teach reading comprehension skills. It also emerged that instead of teaching reading comprehension skills, teachers merely ‘test’ learners’ answering skills.Conclusion: This study suggests that there is a need for re-training and assisting teachers in explicitly teaching reading comprehension skills to learners. Learners may benefit from the enhanced expertise of teachers and become more proficient in reading comprehension.Contribution: The study has provided invaluable insights into the current teaching practice of comprehension skills with actionable insights for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers to support learners’ academic success and bridge the gap between praxis and theory.

Reading Comprehension Instruction: Evaluating Our Progress Since Durkin’s Seminal Study

ABSTRACT Purpose: Nearly 50 years ago, Durkin (1978–1979) conducted a seminal observation study on reading comprehension teaching in Grades 3 through 6. She reported that teachers rarely taught reading comprehension (less than 1% of instructional time). Since then, we have gained substantial knowledge about teaching reading comprehension. We aimed to comprehensively review direct observation studies of reading instruction to understand the extent to which recommended comprehension practices are implemented in schools. Method: A systematic search of the extant literature identified 66 observation studies of reading comprehension instruction for children in K–12 schools, including a total of 1,784 teachers. We employed a mixed-method systematic review to address the research questions. Results: Integrated analyses revealed that reading comprehension instruction infrequently aligned with research-based practices. Findings revealed that, on average, 23% of instructional time during reading/language arts instruction was dedicated to reading comprehension. Like Durkin’s study (1978–1979), the results indicated that teachers spent much of this time engaging in initiation-response-evaluation conversation patterns rather engaging students in extensive discussion of text or teaching knowledge or practices (e.g. text structure, reading comprehension strategies) that support reading comprehension. However, analyses suggested that studies conducted after 2000 reported more research-based reading comprehension practices than earlier studies. Conclusions: These findings suggest a substantial gap persists between the reading comprehension practices identified as research-based and those observed in typical practice. There is a need for renewed efforts to prioritize reading comprehension instruction in policy and practice.

Maximizing Potential : 5W+1H Reading Comprehension Strategy for Student with Moderate Intellectual Disability

This study aims to enhance the reading comprehension skills of elementary school students with moderate intellectual disabilities through a single-subject method. In this study, the researchers use the 5W + 1H strategy to help students understand the meaning of the text. The research data was collected using observation guidelines, which then will be analyzed by using pretest-posttest techniques to assess the subject’s reading comprehension skills improvements. Teaching the 5W + 1H principle - which emphasized the question words why and how using visual images and keywords - was found to be effective in enhancing the subject’s reading comprehension. This finding also explained that this method could maximize the potential of students with moderate intellectual disabilities. The instruction on the question words why and how was particularly effective in increasing the subject's understanding of questions as well as leading him to provide correct and contextually appropriate responses. However, using visual images as a learning aid, especially for why and how questions, seemed less effective, as evidenced by the subject's reliance on keywords within the sentence. In the future, this strategy can be employed by educators to enhance reading comprehension skills for students with moderate intellectual disabilities.

Eye movements of persons with aphasia during connected-text reading

ABSTRACT Background Eye movements reflect the cognitive-linguistic processing of neurotypical readers. Numerous reading related eye movement measures are associated with language processing, including first fixation duration, gaze duration, number of fixations, word skipping, and regressions. Eye movements have also been used to examine reading in neuro-atypical populations including persons with aphasia (PWA). Aims This study aimed to determine whether eye movement measures obtained from connected text reading differ among persons with varying types of aphasia and neurotypical individuals, as well as whether eye movement measures are associated with language processing severity and reading comprehension ability in PWA. Methods Twenty-four PWA and twenty-four age-matched control participants completed a connected text-reading eye-tracking task. The PWA also completed assessments to evaluate overall language processing severity and reading comprehension skills and to identify specific subtypes of aphasia. Results Persons with aphasia had shorter gaze duration, longer regression duration, and made more fixations than control participants, while no group differences emerged for first fixation duration or word skipping. Eye movement patterns did not differ among participants with anomic, Broca’s, or conduction/Wernicke’s. Language severity scores were a significant factor for gaze duration, while reading comprehension scores were not a significant factor for the eye movement measures examined. Conclusions The findings support previous eye tracking literature that indicate different eye movement patterns for persons with aphasia during text reading relative to neurotypical controls. The findings also highlight that the selection of eye movement measures examined, the stimuli used, and procedural considerations may impact the pattern of results. The results from this study can be used to further determine which eye movement measures may be most suited for studying language processing during reading in neuro-atypical individuals and determine whether persons with aphasia use different strategies for reading comprehension than neurotypical individuals.

Teaching Strategies for Enhancing Reading Fluency and Comprehension Among Learners with Mild Hearing Impairment in Mainstream Classrooms

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study, which adopted the concept of communicative democracy to investigate the teaching strategies teachers use to enhance reading fluency and comprehension among learners with mild hearing impairment who were in mainstream classrooms. The purposively selected sample comprised two female teachers and 15 Grade 8 learners, aged between 14 and 15, from a public school in Gauteng province, South Africa. The data-collection methods included classroom observations and unstructured interviews with the teaching staff. Systematic sampling was used for the selection of suitable participants. Employing this technique meant acquiring a sample by selecting a random starting point close to the beginning of the target population list, and subsequently selecting every fourth name in a uniformly spaced unit thereafter. The findings revealed that the teachers’ use of strategies that emphasised active participation and learner-centred approaches considerably contributed to improving reading fluency and comprehension among learners with mild hearing impairment. These strategies included interactive reading activities, visual aids for vocabulary building, phonological awareness and rhyming techniques using visual aids, text immersion through peer collaboration, the adaptation of materials to suit individual learning needs, and word identification. The researcher concluded that learner-centred activities can be effective in enhancing reading fluency and comprehension amongst learners with mild hearing impairment. The recommendation is that future research should explore the long-term impact these teaching strategies have on the academic achievement and social inclusion of learners with mild hearing impairment in mainstream classrooms.

Reading Comprehension and Test-Taking Strategies of Different Achievement Levels

The complexity of the reading process, which poses significant challenges for EFL and ESL learners, underpins this research into effective strategies for both reading comprehension and answering English reading texts. This qualitative phenomenological research aimed to explore the strategies that students use during reading activities and while taking reading comprehension tests. The study involved four fourth-semester students, differentiated by gender and achievement levels: a high-achieving female, a low-achieving female, a high-achieving male, and a low-achieving male. The research identified that students employed a variety of strategies, with 11 metacognitive strategies being used out of a possible 23, including determining word meaning, making connections, inferring, and summarizing. Additionally, four out of the five FIVES reading strategies were utilized: inference, vocabulary, summarization, and experience. High-achieving students employed more strategies, leading to better comprehension and higher test scores. For test-taking, strategies such as careful time management, revisiting difficult questions, and employing process-of-elimination techniques were noted. The effectiveness of both reading and test-taking strategies, along with factors like topic familiarity and the ability to make inferences, were crucial in determining reading success. These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions that focus on teaching effective strategies, enhancing topic familiarity, and supporting students in developing robust test-taking strategies, particularly for low-achieving students.

A Literature Review of Test-taking Strategies in English Reading Comprehension

A Literature Review of Test-taking Strategies in English Reading Comprehension

Unveiling students’ learning strategies and barriers to extensive reading: a case study in an Indonesian university

The present study aims to investigate students’ learning strategies and barriers encountered in extensive reading activities. This research was designed with a qualitative case study method. The study recruited six Indonesian university EFL students majoring in English language education to participate and a lecturer in the study program. Data were garnered through semi-structured interviews as a data collection method. The data were analyzed thematically to find emerging themes. The research findings demonstrate that the EFL students employed three extensive reading comprehension strategies. The three strategies included predicting by inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words by making guesses based on the context, guessing from context by utilizing previous knowledge about the topics in the text, and paraphrasing by creating sentences from the obtained information. Another finding also uncovers the university students’ barriers in extensive reading, including the students’ language background and lack of interest in reading. This study concludes with practical implications for how EFL students engage in extensive reading with various learning strategies and how university teachers boost their students’ interests in more diverse extensive reading activities.

The Impacts of Explicit Strategy Instruction on Reading Performance from Students Perspective: A Case Study

This paper reported on part of a larger study to explore how Vietnamese non-English major students perceived the impacts of explicit strategy instruction (ESI) on reading comprehension. Instruction on reading strategies was conducted for 6 weeks in which students were taught explicitly previewing and predicting, skimming, scanning, guessing the meaning of the unknown words from the context and summarizing strategies. Data were collected from forty-five non-English major students at a university in Vietnam through group interviews and learning reflections. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted in groups of three to four students, and thirty-nine learning reflections were collected to obtain in-depth information about the impact of the ESI. The findings revealed that, after the instruction, the students reported using various reading strategies in four strategy categories, namely problem-solving, global, support and local strategies. In addition, the ESI was perceived to be cognitively beneficial, as students reported heightened awareness of using reading strategies in reading comprehension, expanded reading strategy repertoire, greater reading fluency, and higher reading scores. From a non-cognitive affective perspective, students reported that the ESI motivated them to read with a higher level of confidence and become more autonomous in reading in English. The study offers implications for teachers, students and materials writers in teaching and learning English reading skills in non-English major learning contexts and perhaps in other settings.

Developing Learner Positive Attitudes Towards Reading Comprehension: A Strategy Instruction Approach

This quantitative study sought to explore how Strategy Instructions Approach (SIA) as reading comprehension technique can help develop positive attitudes in learners towards reading. This study was necessitated by the fact that most South African children do not have positive attitudes towards reading and, as such, are not motivated to do reading on their own. To develop a positive attitude towards reading, learners must acquire a rich vocabulary. To acquire a rich vocabulary, learners must be acquainted with the strategies required for decoding meaning from texts. Researchers revealed that English First Additional Language teachers do not have adequate skills to teach learners to effectively comprehend what they read. This study used SIA, which was found to be an effective way of teaching reading comprehension, to grade 8 learners in Elliotdale Circuit Management Centre (CMC) in the Amathole East District of the Eastern Cape of the Republic of South Africa. The aim of this study was to find out if SIA could be used to develop positive attitudes in the learners towards reading. Sixty learners were sampled from three schools, twenty per school, to take part in the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and describe the data collected before and after the interventions. The study revealed that the use of SIA to teach reading comprehension developed positive attitudes of the learner participants towards reading. The study also recommends that school-based staff induction programs should equip teachers on how to use SIA as a strategy for reading comprehension. Teacher training should also equip pre-service teachers on SIA and other reading comprehension strategies.

How does peer tutoring contribute to the development of reading comprehension? Evidence from ten years of practice

This study investigates the development of reading comprehension in primary school students who took part in a peer tutoring programme. Data were collected from 8,128 students (aged 6–12) from 58 schools that participated in the programme between 2012 and 2022. Adopting a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, two research aims are addressed: (1) to detect changes in reading comprehension in a pretest-posttest, and (2) to analyse the interaction of a subsample of pairs to explain these changes. Pretest-posttest subgroup analyses show a significant improvement in reading comprehension for all levels, tutoring options, and roles (i.e., same-age tutors and tutees, same-age reciprocal role, cross-age tutors and tutees) (.43 ≤ ES ≤ .97). A linear mixed model shows that grade level and the interaction between this variable and tutoring option may moderate the increase in reading comprehension, after controlling for initial score. Interaction analysis points to key elements that can explain this improvement, mainly students’ explicit use of strategies for reading comprehension, repeated episodes of reading the text aloud, and joint construction of answers. Overall, these findings support the use of peer tutoring for the development of reading comprehension throughout primary education. Limitations of the study as well as implications for research and practice are discussed.

Boosting Students’ Reading Comprehension Using REAP Method

This research highlights the vital role of English reading skills in students'' literacy and comprehension. Implementing the REAP technique enhances reading comprehension by fostering interactive study-reading methods. Addressing issues like lack of interest, it offers a promising approach to enhance English education at SMA Institut Indonesia Semarang, as evidenced by its effectiveness in improving 11th-grade students' reading abilities. This quasi pre-experimental research employs a one-group pretest-posttest design, chosen for its convenience in obtaining internal samples. Class XI-3 was selected based on teacher recommendations. With 31 students, the study adopts a quantitative approach, focusing on reading comprehension tests administered before and after classroom instruction using multiple-choice questions as the assessment instrument. The pre-test, revealing a range of scores from 44 to 76 with a mean of 64.12, highlights initial reading struggles. Post-treatment, the post-test exhibits diverse scores, averaging 76.38, indicating improvement. The REAP method effectively enhances comprehension, as evidenced by the significant score increase from pre-test (64.12) to post-test (76.38), validating its efficacy. The research findings reveal a notable improvement in students'' reading comprehension abilities following the implementation of the REAP Method, despite initial unsatisfactory grades. The approach effectively enhances students' understanding and analytical skills, demonstrating its high effectiveness as a reading comprehension strategy. Overall, the significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores underscores the success of the REAP Method in advancing students' reading comprehension abilities, affirming its efficacy as a teaching approach

USING COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIC READING (CSR) TO IMPROVE THE SECOND SEMESTER STUDENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDY PROGRAM IN UNIVERSITY OF 17 AUGUST 1945 BANYUWANGI

This aim of the study was to improve the the second semester student of management in university of 17 august 1945 banyuwangi using Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR). CSR combines two instructional approaches: reading comprehension strategy instruction and cooperative learning. The research subjects were the students of second semester in management study program. This class was chosen because most of students had low score of reading comprehension achievement and could not achieve the passing grade. Passing grade of English subject was 75. The research design was classroom action research which covers planning, acting, observing and reflecting. In cycle 1 the result showed that 52% students were active in the first meeting and 68% in second meeting. Next, in cycle 2 the students’ involvement increased from 76% to 84%. It means that the result had met the standard requirement of process evaluation. Besides, the percentage of the students reading comprehension score in cycle 2 are higher than passing grade. The percentage of the students who got at least 75 in reading comprehension test had increased from 68% in cycle 1 to 76% in cycle 2. It means that second cycle had achieved the target score of this research. It can be concluded that CSR can improve students’ reading comprehension and students’ active participation.

Students' skills in mathematical word problems and their reading comprehension level: Basis for intervention program (June 2023)

This study aims to investigate the relationship between reading comprehension and solving mathematical word problems. Mathematics can be enjoyable yet challenging for many students. Solving word problems is a common struggle. To solve these problems, students must have strong reading comprehension skills to fully understand the mathematical information presented in text form. The researchers were motivated to conduct the study to ascertain the level of the students' reading comprehension and its impact on their performance in problem-solving. The researchers used a quantitative method in the study. The respondents were Grade 11 Senior High School students in Don Manuel Rivera Memorial Integrated National School, Pila, Laguna. The researchers calculated the sample size using Slovin's Formula which has a 5% margin of error. As a result, the researchers obtained a sample size of 118 Grade 11 students from HUMSS and STEM strand. The researchers used an adapted test questionnaire from the Project Reach Program of DepEd to measure the reading comprehension level of the respondents. On the other hand, the researchers created test questions to measure the skills of the students in solving mathematical word problems. After the data was collected, tallied, and analyzed, results revealed a significant correlation between students' reading comprehension and problem-solving skills at Don Manuel Rivera Memorial Integrated National High School. The majority of the respondents were categorized as "instructional" and "beginner," with a mean of 18.88 and 10.48. Pearson r correlation analysis revealed that pupils’ reading comprehension level is significantly correlated with their problem-solving skills. It means that students who belong to the independent level tend to have higher proficiency in solving mathematical word problems. The researchers created an intervention program in order to improve students' reading comprehension level and problem-solving skills. The researchers came up with the "CompreMath" intervention program. The "CompreMath" intervention program provides a rationale for integrating reading comprehension strategies into mathematics instruction, enabling students to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, enhance their problem-solving abilities, and make meaningful connections between mathematics and the real world.

EFL Omani Foundation Programme Students’ Attitudes Towards Reading in English and Their Knowledge of Reading Comprehension Strategies

This study investigated the importance of reading in English for EFL Foundation Programme students at a private college university in Oman. It discussed the students' attitudes towards reading in English and their knowledge of reading comprehension strategies. The instruments used included a short questionnaire and a reading achievement test. They were handed to sixteen mixed-age and gender students from level one and sixteen mixed-age and gender students from level two. The findings of the study instruments' data showed that gender and English language proficiency had no statistically significant effect on the level of knowledge of reading comprehension strategies in English. They also revealed that age had no statistically significant effect on attitudes towards reading in English.Moreover, they showed no statistically significant correlation between the knowledge of reading comprehension strategies and attitudes toward reading in English. Although there were positive reading attitudes, students showed weak knowledge of reading comprehension strategies. The study recommends that EFL teachers develop their students' knowledge of reading comprehension strategies.

Exploring Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Reading Comprehension for English Majors: A Post-Pandemic Perspective

ABSTRACT Incorporating effective reading strategies is vital to language learning, as reading is considered to be among the most fundamental skills in acquiring knowledge and achieving success. Research has shown that good readers are often high achievers, and with the support of technology and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) strategies, students can further enhance their reading abilities to become more independent and successful learners. This study dives into the topic of SRL strategies use in reading comprehension for English majors, especially after the recent impact of the Corona pandemic. Through a comprehensive survey of 198 students from two Moroccan universities, this study uncovers significant perspectives on the correlation between SRL strategies and reading achievement. The results reveal that while Moroccan English majors reported a medium level of SRL in reading, female students outscored male students, whereas third year students outscored first and second year students. Meanwhile, a positive correlation was found between SRL strategies’ use and reading achievement. These findings suggest that learners, and male learners in particular, would benefit from being encouraged to use SRL strategies in reading. Furthermore, this study highlights the need for greater attention to time management strategies and peer learning, rehearsal, self-talk about efficiency, and elaboration. This research represents a valuable contribution to the literature on SRL strategies use in the context of EFL learning offering new directions for future research and implications for professors and students alike.

An Assessment of The English Reading Comprehension Strategies Utilized by Level-One Students at A South African University

An Assessment of The English Reading Comprehension Strategies Utilized by Level-One Students at A South African University

READING STRATEGIES USED BY ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY

In the accelerating pace of globalization and internationalization of trade, professionals from a wide range of organizations believed that English as an international language, which is a way of thinking, researching and practicing, was used in almost all areas of life, study, and work. That’s why the study's foremost objectives were to comprehend reading learning strategies used by English-majored students at Thu Dau Mot University. A quantitative method was used to conduct the research with a questionnaire divided into four parts. The subjects of this study are 100 English majors from the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Thu Dau Mot University. According to the results, the majority of students agree with the difficulties faced when learning English reading. Likewise, students also subscribe that they also use some reading learning strategies such as extensive reading strategy, the phonics strategy, the whole language strategy, reading comprehension strategy and vocabulary building strategy. Moreover, some solutions, such as the function of the word in the sentence, the main gist, guessing the unfamiliar word and reading aloud are recommended to them to read more effectively and improve their reading ability. Ultimately, some recommendations are made in the hope of helping both teachers and students.

Digital reading comprehension instruction in English for children with English as an additional language: A systematic review

BackgroundDigital literacy instruction is increasingly common in contemporary practices and can accommodate learners with a range of needs. This systematic review explores the use and effects of technology during reading comprehension instruction involving school‐aged children learning English as an additional language (EAL). Our aim was to provide broad, global coverage that reflects the state of research in the field.MethodsWe searched databases using terms related to EAL, reading comprehension and digital literacy instruction to identify relevant studies published on the topic between 2010 and 2023. Data were extracted regarding study context, participant characteristics, methodology, instruction characteristics and outcomes. We quantified the outcomes of instruction using standardised measures of effect size where possible and appraised the research quality of each study.ResultsA total of 4382 studies were identified. Of these, 53 met our inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted across a variety of low‐ and high‐resource environments, including countries where English is a majority language and those where it is a non‐majority language. Learners from kindergarten through 11th grade were included across the studies. A range of reading comprehension strategies were utilised within the context of digital instruction, with multiple‐strategy instruction the most common. Digital instruction resulted in statistically significant gains in reading comprehension in 32 studies (small to large effect sizes). Our research quality analysis revealed variability in terms of rigour, further adding to the diversity across studies. We conducted a sub‐analysis of eight studies that met the highest standards of research quality. Like the full set of 53 studies, these eight studies reported on diverse types of digital instruction and diverse reading comprehension outcomes but tended to result in smaller effect sizes.ConclusionsDigital reading comprehension instruction can result in reading comprehension gains for children learning EAL, though findings are mixed. Further high‐quality research is needed.

A Critical Analysis of Reading Comprehension Tactics: Theoretical and Educational Implications

The review paper addresses classroom and non-classroom reading comprehension strategies and their theoretical foundations. Reading techniques include critical analysis and reflection on text structure and content to expand vocabulary and help readers integrate new material with their past knowledge. Secondary sources were used to collect data such as books, journals, facts, reports, publications, and research papers. The study uses four primary reading strategies: core diversified tactics, cognitive techniques, socialist-affective tactics, and metacognitive ways to emphasise the learner instructional value. The study results focused on reading strategies that teachers and students’ value, which ones they ignore, and how educational directives and assessment influence these approaches to create collaborative and revolutionary teaching and learning. The findings of the research demonstrated that each of these techniques is provided owing to the fact that they all make use of orthographic identification and cognitive patterns to enhance memory and retention in order to connect new information with previously acquired knowledge in order to accomplish conceptual transformation.