Effectiveness of the Wark and Mogen Underlining Technique as a Study Strategy for Seventh Grade Social Studies Students

Abstract

A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized control, pretest-posttest design was implemented to study the effectiveness of teaching underlining using the Wark and Mogen techniques as outlined in Read, Underline, Review (1970), to 60 seventh grade social studies students. These students along with a control group of 72 seventh grade social students were selected from a suburban Monroe County school. Both groups were comparable in age, I.Q. (Otis-Lennon), and reading grade equivalent (Total Reading on Metropolitan Achievement). All 132 students were pretested on a social studies related passage and their mean comprehension test scores further determinated comparability. The treatment group received 20 minutes of instruction three times a week for three weeks. Instruction was based upon four objectives written to correspond with the four objectives written to correspond with the four objectives of the Wark and Mogen program. Forty minutes of instruction were devoted to teaching each objective. The first phase of instruction for each objective was spent on exercises of discrimination. The second phase of instruction for each objective was a series of application exercises. As each objective was completed, the researcher evaluated their work to identify those mastering the objective. When instruction was finished all 132 students were given an alternate social studies related passage to read. The treatment group was asked to read and apply the skills they were taught. The control group was asked to read and study the passage. All passages were collected to be returned two days later at which time the students were given an allotted time-limit to review for a test. The treatment group reviewed their underlining to study and the control group reviewed by repetitive reading. The posttest followed immediately. A t-test was applied to determine if there was significant difference between the mean posttest comprehension scores of those students in the treatment group who had mastered all the objectives and the mean posttest comprehension scores of the control group to decide if the instruction effected a change favoring the treatment group.