Instructional effects on children's strategy use, metacognition, and subsequent comprehension in reading

With the renewed interest of state and federal agencies in reading reform (Colvin, 1996), current reading research must be concerned with both (1) accounting for underlying processes in reading and their relationships among each other, and (2) providing recommendations for the content and method of effective reading instruction (Kamil, 1984). At present, the conditions under which much reading research is conducted often limit its potential contribution to understanding critical reading processes and fail to resolve the discontinuity that exists between research and practice (Phye & Sanders, 1992; Venezky, 1984).;The present study attempts to address both theoretical and practical concerns in reading by comparing the effectiveness of two forms of instruction on fourth-grade students' strategy use, metacognition, and comprehension. Three schools in Los Angeles county participated in the present study, yielding a total of 259 fourth-grade students. Over the course of this five-day study, students were assessed along three major dimensions: strategy use, metacognition, and comprehension.;The methods used in this study were based on cognitive theory and models of learning and were refined through successful collaboration with teachers and other education professionals. The data produced in this study identified several processes involved in comprehension and instructional factors that facilitated comprehension. What is encouraging from these results is that, with only four days of instruction, students appeared able to learn and apply the reading comprehension strategies that were presented to them. Moreover, students from both high and low reading ability groups exhibited oognitive and metacognitive gains from using these strategies.;The present study can thus serve as a model for translating theory into practical classroom applications that enhance learning outcomes. If national levels of reading achievement are to improve, research and practice must engage in such collaboration to develop instructional programs that identify critical aspects of reading, contribute to our understanding of reading development, provide better indicators of learning, and inform effective means for remediation.