The Effect of Technology on Reading Comprehension in Science.By: Annemieke Savert

Problem Statement

The problem that the researcher observed was that students had low comprehension on science texts. The researcher had previously implemented strategies and interventions to help increase this comprehension, but to little avail. One strategy she had yet to try, but has shown positive results, was the use of technology to increase comprehension.

Research Problem:The researcher wondered how to solve the lack of reading comprehension in science. Desired outcome: Success in reading comprehension in science.

Research Question and Sub-Question:● Can watching online informational videos increase expository reading

comprehension in third-grade students?

● Would this knowledge continue to support the students in their reading to the extent that the students answer in more detail than the control group literal and inferential questions in open-ended questions?

Review of LiteratureFrom the research studies reviewed, many studies have emphasized reading comprehension (Enfield, 2014; Huang 2015). “One response involves re-thinking how teachers integrate to focus on using knowledge to generate understandings of texts or the world rather than using texts to deliver knowledge to students” (Enfield, 2014, p. 409)

Bryce (2011) was interested in observing teachers, their use of the science textbooks, and expanding students comprehension of the materials taught. The goal was to research the teachers’ science textbook-based instruction and to study how students comprehended the challenging text, vocabulary, and text structure. According to Bryce’s (2011) findings, it is imperative that teachers focus on reading strategies leading to reading comprehension as many students are struggling to comprehend expository text.

● Using Literal and Inferential questions

Eason, Goldberg, Young, Geist, and Cutting (2012) used literal and inferential questions to examine the connection between the question types. For literal questions, the students had to recall explicit information from the text. For the inferential questions, the students had to rely on background knowledge. The data indicated that students with higher cognitive skills, such as making inferences, prior knowledge, and organizing information, can comprehend more complex text and answer both literal and inferential questions correctly.

➔ Based on Linebarger and Piotrowski (2010) and Eason, Goldberg, Young, Geist, and Cutting (2012) findings, one can conclude that if students can comprehend more complex text, they could also answer both literal and inferential questions correctly.

● Using Technology to enhance the science lesson

Linebarger and Piotrowski (2010) determined that, “There is clear evidence that TV comprehension is linked to reading comprehension; that is, TV comprehension was highly correlated with print comprehension” (p. 1595).

Eick and King Jr. (2012) focused on how students perceive video segments in their learning and established that students enjoy and learn from short educational movies.

Barak and Dori (2011) used short educational movies and showed that, not only did animated movies enhance the science lesson and that students comprehended the materials, but it also triggered teachers to combine the information with other teaching strategies.

➔ Technology could support the students to grasp the language and meaning of the textbook and interactive technology could help the students with the specialized use of language in the science textbook.

MethodsBy using a mixed-method design, the researcher was able to analyze data from multiple-choice and open-ended questions from both the control group and the experimental group. Combining both classes, the researcher conducted her research with 22 third-grade students. In this six-week study, the researcher was able to examine the effects of technology within a full science unit around matter and its properties. The independent-measured t test (Mertler, 2013) was used to examine the effects for the quantitative data, while a coded system was used to study the effects of the qualitative data.

Example of multiple choice and open-ended questions given

Example of exit slip

Overview quantitative data: Not considered to be statistically significant

Overview qualitative data: Considered to be statistically significant

ResultsWhen analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data from both the experimental and control group several significant findings were discovered. First, according to the data, the impact of the multiple-choice questions from the magazine showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Second, the impact of the open-ended inferential and literal questions from the magazine showed no statistically significant difference as well. However, when examining the open-ended exit slip responses the data showed a significant difference from the responses given between the experimental and the control group. Not only were students from the experimental group able to give more details, their data also showed an increase in their ability to make inferences based on their newly gained knowledge.

Interpretations● Interpretation One: Technology in Addition to Reading Text,

Can Increase Comprehension.

Eick and King Jr. (2012) focused on how students perceive video segments in their learning. ➔ The videos made a positive impact on the students and the amount of

feedback the students were able to produce on the exit slips was impressive.

Using the technology to expand vocabulary in expository text was proven to be effective by Huang (2015).➔ By using technology, lower-readers could keep up with their peers which

was one of the achievements from this research.

● Interpretation Two: Reading Strategies Need to Be Taught Exclusively in Order to Increase Reading Comprehension.

The researcher learned that if the focus was on reading comprehension, the students would need specific reading strategies from the teacher during the science lesson in order to approach and read the questions at a deeper level as Furtado and Johnson (2010) acknowledged.

➔ Their research confirmed that students need specific reading skills and they divided the skills in: (a) repeating exposure in writing, (b) making reader-text connections, (c) focus on student response, (d) giving direct instruction in using comprehension strategies, and (e) using visual structures to support comprehension and creating awareness of the comprehension process (Furtado & Johnson, 2010).

Impact of research on the future● It is the researcher’s opinion that it is a necessity to offer support through small group reading

interventions in which strategies with science materials can be read and discussed. Comprehension strategies and making reader-text connections will help the students become more successful in reading the text independently (Furtado & Johnson, 2010).

● By using this exit slip the researcher was able to understand that the students did learn more than the multiple-choice questions were revealing. The researcher recommends that future educators should test students in different ways such as exit slips, to better understand student growth and knowledge.

● Technology is one of the newer ways of supporting students in their learning and this research has shown that technology has the ability to support the lower-readers in different ways besides reading. The research showed only a 5% gain on the multiple-choice questions with the five-minute videos. One must wonder if a 10-minute video would yield a 10% gain on the multiple-choice questions.

● the researcher believed that working with a fully mixed-method gave a complete and more detailed overview of what the students learned. The multiple-choice questions showed that the lower-readers still struggled with reading and comprehending the text as where the open-ended question revealed the knowledge that the students had gained. As this fully mixed-method showed the diverse results throughout the study, the researcher felt that this mixed-method should be used with further research because it could give a more detailed result and could then be compared to this action research.

ConclusionThis action research was conducted to examine the effect of technology on reading comprehension in science. Research has shown that prior knowledge is necessary for students to make sense of the expository text and link this knowledge to new content (Linebarger & Piotrowski, 2010). Bryce (2011) acknowledged that students need to understand the specialized terms within the text for meaningful reading in science.

Eick and King Jr. (2012) recognized that students lack basic knowledge and need to comprehend difficult concepts in science and further stated, “Video has the potential to aid student learning through further engagement and reflection on difficult concepts that are taught” (p. 26). Technology is now integrated within the daily lives of students and this action research has shown that it deserves its place in the classroom instruction to further build on students’ knowledge as students were able to write exit slips with detailed information about the newly learned topic.

While videos may help build the prior knowledge and can be used to link the information back to the expository text it will not necessarily enhance reading skills. It is the researcher’s belief that students still need teacher guidance to understand and refer to the text. These skills cannot be gained by merely watching videos and building prior knowledge. The students need individualized guidance throughout the text until they are fluent enough to conquer the text by themselves.