Abstract:
The problem: The purpose of this study was to
determine whether a difference existed in reading
comprehension test scores between groups receiving
traditional reading instruction and traditional reading
instruction with specific thinking skills. The study also
investigated the effect of I Q and gender on thinking skills
and reading comprehension.
Procedures: A sample of 257 fifth-grade students were
taught regular reading instruction with the experimental
Grow receivinq the first 10 lessons of Edward deBono's
Coqnitive Research Trust(CoRT)Thinkinq Skills Proqram.
Instruction consisted of one 35-minute lesson per week over
a 10-week period. Students were pretested and posttested
with the Stanford Diaqnostic Reading Test, 3rd Edition. All
test results were subjected to Analysis of Covariance which
adjusted mean scores.
Findinqs: All students experienced significant gains
in reading comprehension over the 10-week study. However,
no statistically significant differences were found to exist
between the experimental and control groups. The study
revealed that students in the high and middle IQ groups
experienced similar gains, both significantly higher than
students in the low IQ group. No differences were found to
exist in gain scores due to gender.
Conclusions: The evidence presented in this study
indicated gains in reading comprehension scores can be
attributed to the scope and sequence of the reading
curriculum and to the maturation of the students over the
10-week period. In this study, the specific thinking skills
course, for the purpose of improving reading comprehension,
was ineffective,
Recommendations: To maximize the effect of specific
thinking skills lessons, it is recommended that classroom
teachers be the instructors for the program. Staff
development would assist the teachers in integrating the
specific thinking skills into all instructional areas, thus providing additional practice time for students. Evaluation
should occur after the complete program of 60 le ssons has been taught. Investigation into the effectiveness of
specific thinking programs in all academic domains may
provide the basis for additional research.
