Inductive learning has gained well-deserved attention as a teaching strategy, but not as a studen... more Inductive learning has gained well-deserved attention as a teaching strategy, but not as a student-appropriated skill. Inductive Bible Study methods provide a model for cognitive strategies that enhance reading comprehension and higher-order thinking. The present study aimed to translate these skills into cognitive strategies that third grade students could use in reading, to improve reading comprehension. The setting was a small American Christian school in an Anglophone West African country. The grade 3 class consisted of 21 students from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. The entire class participated in the curricular project of 12 lessons that taught inductive learning skills incrementally, in small- and whole-group settings. The curricular project took place over 4 weeks. A pre-test and post-test were given on reader self-efficacy and reading comprehension, and scores from Reading Street weekly tests before and during the project were collected. The data revealed that reader self-efficacy scores dropped by a small percentage between the pre-test and post-test. Reading comprehension scores for the pre-test and post-test rose slightly. The most significant gain was shown in Reading Street weekly test scores, which showed a 12% rise between average test scores before the skills were taught, and during and afterward. The results indicate that inductive learning strategies as a student-appropriated cognitive skill set can increase reading comprehension in third grade students, but a longer time span would be needed to confirm student appropriation of the skills in the long term. Keywords: Reading comprehension, metacognition, inductive learning, inquiry learning, induction, cognition, inference, higher-order thinking.
Verbal reasoning is intimately linked with reading comprehension. Perhaps the greatest predictor ... more Verbal reasoning is intimately linked with reading comprehension. Perhaps the greatest predictor for reading comprehension is vocabulary size. Vocabulary is so vital that a 3rd grade student whose individual lexicon lags behind will struggle throughout their academic career. Vocabulary must be taught, but not every student learns vocabulary words in the same way. A cognitive pluralism approach would be that students learn to manipulate and gain meaning from symbols in different ways, via multiple intelligences. This is supported by research that gives evidence that multiple approaches to teaching vocabulary are most effective. Therefore multiple approaches and multiple opportunities to think must play a part in enriching vocabulary, thereby strengthening reading comprehension and verbal reasoning.
Inductive learning has gained well-deserved attention as a teaching strategy, but not as a studen... more Inductive learning has gained well-deserved attention as a teaching strategy, but not as a student-appropriated skill. Inductive Bible Study methods provide a model for cognitive strategies that enhance reading comprehension and higher-order thinking. The present study aimed to translate these skills into cognitive strategies that third grade students could use in reading, to improve reading comprehension. The setting was a small American Christian school in an Anglophone West African country. The grade 3 class consisted of 21 students from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. The entire class participated in the curricular project of 12 lessons that taught inductive learning skills incrementally, in small- and whole-group settings. The curricular project took place over 4 weeks. A pre-test and post-test were given on reader self-efficacy and reading comprehension, and scores from Reading Street weekly tests before and during the project were collected. The data revealed that reader self-efficacy scores dropped by a small percentage between the pre-test and post-test. Reading comprehension scores for the pre-test and post-test rose slightly. The most significant gain was shown in Reading Street weekly test scores, which showed a 12% rise between average test scores before the skills were taught, and during and afterward. The results indicate that inductive learning strategies as a student-appropriated cognitive skill set can increase reading comprehension in third grade students, but a longer time span would be needed to confirm student appropriation of the skills in the long term. Keywords: Reading comprehension, metacognition, inductive learning, inquiry learning, induction, cognition, inference, higher-order thinking.
Verbal reasoning is intimately linked with reading comprehension. Perhaps the greatest predictor ... more Verbal reasoning is intimately linked with reading comprehension. Perhaps the greatest predictor for reading comprehension is vocabulary size. Vocabulary is so vital that a 3rd grade student whose individual lexicon lags behind will struggle throughout their academic career. Vocabulary must be taught, but not every student learns vocabulary words in the same way. A cognitive pluralism approach would be that students learn to manipulate and gain meaning from symbols in different ways, via multiple intelligences. This is supported by research that gives evidence that multiple approaches to teaching vocabulary are most effective. Therefore multiple approaches and multiple opportunities to think must play a part in enriching vocabulary, thereby strengthening reading comprehension and verbal reasoning.
Uploads
Papers by Meredith DeVoe
Keywords:
Reading comprehension, metacognition, inductive learning, inquiry learning, induction, cognition, inference, higher-order thinking.
Keywords:
Reading comprehension, metacognition, inductive learning, inquiry learning, induction, cognition, inference, higher-order thinking.