Description of Research Project
The single-subject, quasi-experimental research study was conducted for 8 weeks and addressed the purpose of this study, which was to determine the effect of explicit instruction in metacognitive strategies, using fiction and nonfiction texts, on listening and reading comprehension skills. Due to the limited number of students within this school who had a formal diagnosis of language learning disabilities (LLD), and who received services in reading and language, a quasi-experimental quantitative study was selected.
Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures were obtained for reading and listening comprehension. The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4th Edition (CELF-4): Understanding Spoken Paragraphs subtest (Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2006) assessed listening comprehension skills. The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) (Beaver & Carter, 2003) measured current reading level and progress in reading comprehension through a written retelling procedure. The Informal Reading Inventory- 7th edition (B/RIRI-7) (Roe and Burns, 2007) assessed listening and reading comprehension skills informally using oral retellings and a series of closed-ended response questions. Informal oral retelling rubrics for fiction and nonfiction texts also were completed using a retelling rubric adapted from Harp (2006).
The pretest and posttest scores of both formal and informal assessments were compared to determine effectiveness of instruction and gains in listening and reading comprehension. Additionally, the informal retelling rubric was utilized weekly, alternating between fiction or nonfiction texts, to analyze progress in students’ reading comprehension skills. The triangulation of data for listening and reading comprehension pre-intervention and post-intervention provided strong support of the benefits of explicit metacognitive strategies instruction.
The Metacognitive Strategy Index (MSI) taken from Harp (2006) and the metacognitive awareness subtest of the DRA, for fiction and nonfiction texts, were also collected pre-intervention and post-intervention to determine awareness and application of strategies before, during, and after reading. A Metacomprehension Strategies Checklist adapted from Harp was also utilized during each session to teach strategies. Two samples were collected during the study as well as anecdotal notes taken by the researcher to support knowledge and application of strategies before, during, and after reading.
The study began the week of January 9, 2007 and ended the week of March 9, 2007. School holidays and vacations during the school year caused a brief interruption in intervention; however, instruction resumed after these periods. Instruction was provided in small groups, 3 times per week for 40-minute sessions.