| This study examined the impact of using higher order thinking instructional intervention on oral reading fluency and reading comprehension in a first grade classroom setting. Historically, higher order and critical thinking activities have been reserved for gifted education or talent development, however these activities are increasingly becoming more customary in the traditional classroom setting. This research implemented quantitative measures that explored the efficacy of talent development and enrichment activities on the students' literary development in the areas of reading comprehension and oral reading fluency. The data analysis conducted for this study included the use of ANCOVA, which revealed that the treatment (M = 12.60, SE = 0.67) group scored significantly higher than the control (M = 9.65, SE = 0.73) group on post-test reading scores after controlling for the participants' pre-test scores, F (1, 69) = 8.10, p = .006 (eta2 = .11, power = .80). Eleven percent of the variability in the students' post-test reading scores was attributed to the treatment after controlling for the students' pre-test reading scores. The results of the data gathered indicate that is there is a significant relationship between the use of enrichment and talent development models and the increase of the reading comprehension for young readers. |
