| The previously untested effect of animated podcasting employed as an online reading instructional strategy was quantitatively tested on Florida Latino college student online reading comprehension. The problem addressed whether podcasting, incorporating mindfulness, as an online instructional strategy might have an effect on students' reading comprehension. Using a quasi-experimental design, students were assigned to intervention and comparison groups, each consisting of at least 30 U.S.-born male Latinos, 30 U.S.-born female Latinas, 30 foreign-born male Latinos, and 30 foreign-born female Latinas. The study's three overarching research questions asked, first, whether there would be a main effect in reading comprehension scores of podcast intervention participants as compared to non-intervention participants, regardless of their gender and ethnicity; second, if there would be an interaction between intervention and ethnicity; and third, if there would be a three way interaction between gender, ethnicity and intervention. The Online Reading Assessment (ORA), was used as the data collection instrument for participating students in both intervention and comparison groups. The ORA was chosen as it assessed the reader's ability to arrange and synopsize the writing and to interpret visual charts or other information, all study skills deemed essential for college reading. The study hoped to find a main effect in the online reading comprehension scores of Latino college students receiving the podcast intervention as compared to their peers not receiving it regardless of their gender and ethnicity, as well as a possible interaction effect between ethnicity and intervention; and a three way interaction between intervention, ethnicity and gender. The results showed no statistical main effect on the reading comprehension of online Latino students enrolled in blended and online courses in a Florida college that received this study's podcasting intervention and those who did not. However, a statistical interaction between intervention and ethnicity as well as a three-way interaction between intervention, ethnicity and gender, were shown. Consistent with prior recommendations found in the literature, this study recommended additional podcasting instructional strategy research in this newly developing medium. Given female Latina academic underperformance to male Latinos, this recommendation included research on interactions arising in podcasting between intervention, ethnicity and gender. |
