Improving reading comprehension by enhancing metacognitive competences : an evaluation of the reciprocal teaching method
type: CreativeWork
description: In an experimental study the attempt was made to examine the effects of the Reciprocal Teaching method on measures of metacognition and try to identify the effective features of this method that are necessary for the learning gains to occur. Reciprocal Teaching, originally developed by Palincsar and Brown (1984), is a very successful training program which was designed to improve student's reading comprehension skills by teaching them reading strategies. In the present study the tasks and responsibilities assumed by 5thgrade elementary students (N = 55) participating in a 16-session reading strategy training were varied systematically. Not only the students who participated in the training program in one of the three experimental conditions were compared with respect to knowledge and performance measures, but there was also a comparison to their control classmates who did not participate in strategy training (N = 86). Detailed analyses of video-taped sessions provided additional information. The strategy training was most beneficial for measures of knowledge and performance more closely related to the content of the training program, namely knowledge about specific reading strategies taught in training and application of those strategies. No significant effects were observed for more distal measures (general strategy knowledge, reading comprehension). As for the features of the program, it could be shown that students of the two experimental conditions where the students were responsible for giving each other feedback on performance (with respect to both content and strategy application) and guiding the correction of the answer outperformed both the experimental condition in which the trainer was responsible for those tasks and the control group. It is concluded that it is not merely the application of strategies, but the combination of strategy application with concurrent teaching and learning of metacognitive acquisition procedures (analysis, monitoring, evaluatio…
abstract: In an experimental study the attempt was made to examine the effects of the Reciprocal Teaching method on measures of metacognition and try to identify the effective features of this method that are necessary for the learning gains to occur. Reciprocal Teaching, originally developed by Palincsar and Brown (1984), is a very successful training program which was designed to improve student's reading comprehension skills by teaching them reading strategies. In the present study the tasks and responsibilities assumed by 5thgrade elementary students (N = 55) participating in a 16-session reading strategy training were varied systematically. Not only the students who participated in the training program in one of the three experimental conditions were compared with respect to knowledge and performance measures, but there was also a comparison to their control classmates who did not participate in strategy training (N = 86). Detailed analyses of video-taped sessions provided additional information. The strategy training was most beneficial for measures of knowledge and performance more closely related to the content of the training program, namely knowledge about specific reading strategies taught in training and application of those strategies. No significant effects were observed for more distal measures (general strategy knowledge, reading comprehension). As for the features of the program, it could be shown that students of the two experimental conditions where the students were responsible for giving each other feedback on performance (with respect to both content and strategy application) and guiding the correction of the answer outperformed both the experimental condition in which the trainer was responsible for those tasks and the control group. It is concluded that it is not merely the application of strategies, but the combination of strategy application with concurrent teaching and learning of metacognitive acquisition procedures (analysis, monitoring, evaluatio…
author: Demmrich, Anke
keywords: Reziprokes Lehren, Strategietraining, Lesestrategie, Reciprocal Teaching, Strategy Training, Reading Strategy
date published: 2005-06-10
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:51:16Z
provider: Universität Potsdam - Diss
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Universität Potsdam