The Effects of an Integrated Reading Comprehension Strategy: A Culturally Responsive Teaching Approach for Fifth-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

The study evaluated the effects of the Integrated Reading Comprehension Strategy on two levels. The Integrated Reading Comprehension Strategy integrated story grammar instruction and story maps, prior knowledge and prediction method, and word webs through a culturally responsive teaching framework; the Integrated Reading Comprehension Strategy Plus added multicultural literature and cooperative learning. The study was conducted with 49 fifth-grade students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent group, pretest–posttest design. An informal reading inventory was the measurement instrument. The results indicated that both groups’ mean scores for word recognition, reading comprehension, and story retell increased significantly. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups. These findings support the integration of research-based practices with culturally responsive teaching, which promotes connecting the school's learning environment with the students’ personal experiences.

Keywords:

• cultural diversity
• culturally responsive teaching
• English learners
• reading comprehension