Literacy research suggests that boys generally underperform academically when compared to their female counterparts (NAEP, 2010). Empirical data link the struggles boys encounter in literacy to disruptive classroom behaviour (Alloway et al., 2002). This sometimes contributes to school violence as boys become disengaged from learning activities that depend on reading proficiency. Explicit comprehension strategy instruction (ECSI) has shown to be effective in improving reading comprehension of students in other educational jurisdictions (Tiruneh, 2014).
This presentation shares quantitative findings from a larger mixed-method study I conducted that sought to determine the effect of ECSI on reading comprehension of readers in the Trinidad context. One hundred and sixty-eight students from two schools in one Education District participated. Four classes were randomly assigned to experimental and controlled groups. Experimental groups were taught using ECSI while controlled groups were taught using Traditional Comprehension Instruction (TCI). An oral reading fluency (ORF) assessment was used to determine the reading proficiency of students. A pre-test and post-test design was used over six weeks. Repeated-measure ANOVA was used to determine significant factor interactions. Descriptive statistics were used to compare groups.
Three significant factor interactions were observed. ECSI improved comprehension score means of developing readers (M=+0.32) while those with TCI (M= - 0.25) fell. More specifically, male developing readers were found to respond more favourably (M= +0.85) to ECSI than their female counterparts (M= -0.07).
The implications of this study can inform classroom instructional practices to engage males in literacy learning and may reduce their disruptive behaviours in classrooms.

Authors:
Webster Joseph, Claxton Bay Senior Anglican Primary School, Trinidad and Tobago

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Webster Joseph is a primary school teacher in Trinidad. His research focus is in reading comprehension using explicit comprehension strategy instruction (ECSI). He is currently conducting further research using ECSI with guided and peer reading.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-webster-joseph-0b524479

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

Bookmark