Improving comprehension : comparing the effects of two types of advance organizers on passage comprehension

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Authors
Priddy, Evelyn Jo
Advisor
Ransom, Peggy E.
Issue Date
1989
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (D. Ed.)
Department
Department of Elementary Education
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two types of advance organizers on the comprehension of fourth grade students. The students' reading achievement levels were identified, and prior knowledge of the topics presented in the passages was assessed.Six intact classes were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. The first group was given a prose organizer before reading each of the passages; the second group received a discussion organizer; and the third group participated in both types of organizers. All of the activities were presented by the regular classroom teachers.The appropriate treatment and a selected passage were given to each group on the same day. On the following day, the subjects were asked to complete a cloze test constructed from selected portions of the passage. This procedure was repeated four times.A three factor analysis of covariance with repeated measurement of the four posttests was used to analyze the data. Reading achievement was used as the covariate in the analysis. Subjects were classified as to treatment group and high or low prior knowledge. Results indicated that the composite posttest means of the groups differed significantly. There was, however, no interaction between treatment and prior knowledge or between treatment and repeated presentations.The Student-Newman-Keuls procedure was applied post-hoc to test the difference among the means. The treatment group receiving only the prose organizer differed from the other two groups with lower passage comprehension. It was concluded that the discussion organizer alone or with a prose organizer facilitated better passage comprehension.