Supplemental reading strategy instruction for adolescents: A randomized trial and follow-up study

Abstract

In this study, the authors examine the impact of a yearlong supplemental reading course involving daily instruction in the learning strategies curriculum on lower achieving adolescent students' reading achievement and motivation. Using a multiple-cohort randomized treatment-control group design over 4 years, they compared achievement and motivation outcomes for 605 sixth-grade students who participated in the intervention with 530 students who did not participate and 593 ninth-grade students who participated in the intervention with 535 students who did not participate. Results indicated significant impacts of the intervention on reading achievement for ninth-grade students but not for sixth-grade students. Significant impacts on reading motivation were found for both sixth- and ninth-grade students. An exploratory follow-up study indicated potential benefits of a second year of intervention for sixth-grade students who are still low achieving after 1 year of intervention.

Keywords:

• Adolescent literacy
• reading interventions
• reading strategies

Note

1. In the follow-up year, every Grade 7 teacher was observed once in the fall and once in the spring. In one middle school the teacher changed midyear due to turnover. There were two 10th-grade teachers who were each observed once in the fall and once in the spring.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals to this study: Deepshikha Sigdel, Jane Arrington, Matt Buckman, Rebecca Gordon, Jessica Grewe, Emily Hall, David Long, Lindsey Myers, Jason Routin, Latricia Bronger, Brenda Overturf, Kathy Belcher, Amy Awbrey, the staff of Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, Cindy Parker, Robin Hebert, Cristofer Price, Letao Sun, and the staff of the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development.

Funding

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Striving Readers program as administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education (PR/AWARD NO. S371A060090). The findings and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, or the U.S. Department of Education.