The Effects of Instruction in Prereading Strategies on Reading Comprehension

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of instruction in prereading strategies on reading comprehension. Through using Running Reading Records as an assessment tool, I compared reading growth over an eight week period without prereading instruction against reading growth over an eight week period with prereading instruction . This study consisted of 12 students over a sixteen week period . Running Reading Records were initially given in order to find each student's instructional reading level. Over the course of eight weeks, I instructed the students, in small groups according to their ability level, in guided reading groups. After eight weeks, Running Reading Records were given in order to determine each child's reading growth over a period of eight weeks used as a pretest. After that, I continued with another eight weeks of reading instruction, but this time I used prereading strategies in the small groups. After eight weeks, Running Reading Records were evaluated again as a posttest. The results were evaluated quantitatively using a t test, as I compared the reading growth from the first set of eight weeks with the reading growth from the second time period . The findings strongly favored the treatment group although it did not show statistical significance.