Date of Graduation
8-27-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
College/School
School of Education
Department
Learning and Instruction
Program
Learning & Instruction EdD
First Advisor
Dr. Patricia Busk
Second Advisor
Dr. Helen Maniates
Third Advisor
Dr. Kevin Oh
Abstract
Students struggling with reading in secondary school are between learning to read and reading to learn. Struggling readers require metacognitive and cognitive reading skills to tackle the complexities of reading. Combining the research of worked-examples and think-aloud shaped the instructional intervention in this study. This study aimed to explore the impact of think-aloud worked-example on improving students’ reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of applying think-aloud reading comprehension strategies in conjunction with modeling worked-example to ill-defined problems, in reading-intervention classes for students who have yet to reach proficiency in reading at the secondary school level. Asking students to verbalize their thinking as they analyze a worked example can be a beneficial strategy to support learning. This approach can help students with cognitive processes related to effective reading. This mixed-method quasi-experiment used a convenience sample of 62 sixth- and seventh-grade middle-school students from five reading support classes. This study supports Tier 2 students who need group intervention to improve common targeted reading comprehension skills. The treatment group received explicit instruction on worked examples and think-aloud, while the comparison group followed the instructional reading curriculum. This research provides the foundational framework for worked-example think-alouds as an effective instructional reading-comprehension strategy. The independent variable was an explicit instructional approach taught in a five-week unit on think-aloud worked-examples as a reading comprehension strategy. The dependent variable was reading comprehension scores and strategies used during the think-aloud. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent-samples t tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the treatment and comparison groups in posttest reading comprehension scores. The students’ reading scores from the treatment group demonstrated significant improvements compared to the control group. Qualitative data were coded into categories to address the change between students’ prethink-aloud and postthink-aloud reports to identify themes that emerged during data analysis. These data revealed a difference in surface-level and deep-level metacognitive and cognitive processes, think-aloud coherence, and understanding of the purpose of the text. These findings parallel existing research in reading comprehension of how less-skilled readers approach the text.
Recommended Citation
Cervano, J. (2024). Reading Comprehension: Effects of Think-Aloud with Worked-Examples for Secondary School Students Who are Reading Below Grade Level. Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/707
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons
