ERIC Number: EJ1052141
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0671
EISSN: N/A
Reading Perspective: Can It Improve Middle School Students' Comprehension of Informational Text?
Ramsay, Crystal M.; Sperling, Rayne A.
Journal of Educational Research, v108 n2 p81-94 2015
In 2 experiments the authors investigated whether assigning a perspective to middle school students prior to reading a long informational text would improve their reading comprehension. Pretest-posttest control group designs were employed in both experiments, in Experiment 1 (n = 146 fifth- and sixth-grade students) and in Experiment 2 (n = 83 eighth-grade students), where a delayed measure of comprehension was also included. Findings indicated statistically significant learning gains from pre- to posttest regardless of perspective but no differential benefit for perspective assignment on overall comprehension or comprehension of perspective-relevant content. Previous research has demonstrated comprehension benefit for adults assigned a perspective before reading short narrative texts in experimental settings. This work extends reading comprehension research by testing the efficacy of perspective instantiation in 2 samples of middle school learners reading an informational text in a school setting. Findings suggest more research is necessary prior to advocating the use of perspective instantiation in classrooms.
Descriptors: Middle School Students, Pretests Posttests, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Reading Comprehension, Statistical Significance, Achievement Gains, Reading Instruction, Instructional Effectiveness, Teaching Methods, Predictor Variables, Individual Differences, Experiments, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Distributions, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 8, Multivariate Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Elementary Education; Grade 6; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A