¶ … Technology-Based Teacher Training and Teacher-Led Classroom Implementation on Learning Reading Comprehension Strategies Summary of Article and Meaning

This study was done to examine the efficiency of an expertly advanced comprehensive reading comprehension strategies program. The purpose was to compare it to the traditional reading comprehension instruction which was offered to over 800 fourth and fifth graders. The study was done using 34 classrooms in the United States. Also, the treatment involved a strong, technology-founded teacher training component in addition to extremely encouraging materials that would be used for 53 classroom-delivered student instructions. The study utilized a research design which was a randomized trial performed at the classroom level. It was done with classes unsystematically apportioned to either the treatment which (classroom n=16) or the control made up of (classroom n=17) circumstances. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was executed on student success statistics, nested inside classrooms within treatment situations, for the classes that were intact. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses using experimenter-designed achievement tests as the result variable was able to display an important effect for disorder. However, the students in the treatment condition were the ones that scored higher than those students who were in the control condition through all the different student groups which were comprised of gender English Language proficiency and ethnicity. The article tried to make the point that there are a lot of U.S. students that are not doing that well in reading. It points out that students are not developing the proper sophisticated reading comprehension skills needed in order to be successful in the 21st century. The article explains that the U.S. economy is demanding a more universally higher level of learning achievement than at any previous point in history, and it is rational to believe that literacy stresses will increase in the future.

On the other hand, the article stresses the fact that while the demand for a more sophisticated reading comprehension skills is in demand and increasing, the reading abilities of U.S. students have not been doing that well. Their comprehension skills stayed these same, they hardly changed and they stayed unchanged for over the past 30. The article talks about the specific issue that is motivating the research talked about in the study which is that fact that there are not many U.S. students which are being taught the reading comprehension policies they need in order to do the classy reading essential in today's world. The article supported this claim by mentioning that teaching reading comprehension strategies to students was not a part of the entire language program, which seriously dominated in U.S. classrooms during the course of most of the previous decade, and as a result teaching comprehension strategies was just not an urgency during that time. The article also stressed that teachers have not been sufficiently trained when it comes to teach reading comprehension tactics. Also with the training, teaching comprehension is extremely stimulating. For most teachers, positively teaching comprehension policies is dependent on having proper and influential materials in order to use in teaching the policies.

The authors even talk about how over the past 15 years, there has been a considerable body of concept and research which has reinforced two methods to teaching...

The authors call them the "direct explanation of strategies" and "transactional strategies instruction." The article explains that both of these strategies have been effective but that direct explanation of strategies has been recurrently authenticated and recommended over the past two decades.
The Critique

1. Citation in APA

All of the citations were done in APA style and they were also referenced correctly.

2. Key points in Abstract

The abstract did mention some key points which were that the research design was a randomized trial at the classroom level and Hierarchical Linear Modeling was performed on student achievement data.

3. Introduction

The authors sort of stated the research problem in a vague way so it needed to be re-worded. There was not any theoretical perspective mentioned in the paper. Also, there were no existing or research gaps in the article. The authors clearly specify their hypotheses concerning the results of the research. There were three research questions written as hypothesis.

4. Method

a. Research design and variables

i. Research design

The design of this research study is openly specified as "being quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test control group design."

ii. Independent variables

The independent variables in this study are clearly engaged in that the in servicing of each of the control groups was methodologically assumed. Moreover, each treatment was piloted freely of the other and even though each of them allocated with metacognitive skills, for each was developed in order to attain those skills using very diverse methods.

iii. Dependent Variables

It did not mention anything about dependent variables.

b. Description of Sample

i. Sampling Procedure

The technique of sampling involved by the authors appears less than useable. That is to say, the authors made no effort to control the analyzing of matters into the three sample groups. What appears to be worse is the authors permitted the subjects themselves to select among the groups.

ii. Sample Size

Thus, the sample size is fairly disrelated to the instant population from where it all started from. iii. Attrition However, there was not anything mentioned about attrition.

c. Measures

i. Rationale for selection

When it came down to rationale for selection the authors did not make any comment in regards to it.

ii. Evidence of Reliability/Validity

The idea that both of the experimental groups were given totally different materials has grave effects on the validity of the study findings. The internal validity of the test appears to be fairly positive. Certainly, the researchers take great pains to make certain this and they openly outline their exertions in the development of their observation as well.

iii. Description of Measures

The authors put together a survey style type of observation tool which was used four times for to each experimental group and merely two times for the control group.

d. Procedures/Description of Intervention

The article failed in giving a detailed process of how the procedures took place.

5. Results

a. Types of Statistical Analyses

The authors only…