The Power of Discussion on Students' Comprehension

Abstract

Through listening to one another we establish "a foundation for all aspects of language and cognitive development" (Hyslop,1988). As teachers we need to establish the need for discussion and encourage the discussion aspect of learning. This needs to be done within the classroom and at home. Parents are the first people that children talk with and learn to discuss issues with. Therefore, it is necessary that discussion be carried on throughout a child's education. In the thesis, I will research that by discussing stories with their children, parents will increase the comprehension of their children. Through the use of short stories from three different genre and comprehension quizzes I will test this research to determine if stories were better understood. This study showed a trend toward improved student comprehension after parental discussions took place.