Inferencing strategies in context: Supporting four Chapter 1 students in sixth-grade reading

The purpose of this study was threefold: first to investigate the role of prior knowledge in the classroom inferencing of four female sixth-grade Chapter 1 students, second to ascertain what were these students' responses to a strategic instructional program by a reading specialist teacher/researcher and third to record evidence of students' increased inferencing and use of cognitive strategies as well as their feelings and beliefs about reading and their own reading abilities as a result of this instruction.;The case study followed a qualitative, descriptive design because it pointed to a detailed description of individual differences among four sixth-grade students' responses to inference instruction. The study's quantitative aspect illustrated similarities or differences in students' prior knowledge, inferencing abilities, and self-beliefs. A three phase nine month plan extending from October to June implemented several strategic measures.;Initially, the teacher administered Langer's (1984) PReP procedure followed by two easy-reading passages with five inferential questions for each passage.;Second, the teacher implemented a (HQAR) model combining Hansen's metacognitive and analogy questions plus Raphael's QAR questions. The teacher introduced think-alouds using mental modeling and cognitive guidance strategies. Then self-efficacy interviews and inventories were administered before and after the intervention.;Third, four difficult-reading passages accompanied by five inferential questions for each passage were administered. Students checked off think-aloud strategies used after reading easy or difficult passages. The teacher administered two additional questionnaires and interviewed students' respective homeroom teachers.;Results highlighted students' increased inferencing as a result of the strategic inferential intervention implemented during the study's three phases. Evidence of prior knowledge was detected by these foregoing measures. Heightened feelings of self-efficacy were noted after the teacher/student interviews, however only minimal effects were observed after pre and post reading inventories. The strategic intervention impacted upon the teaching and teacher's opinion regarding these students.;Conclusions seemed to confirm that students' background knowledge, family backgrounds, personalities, and learning styles influenced their inferencing abilities.