The effect of transactional reading model on reading comprehension skills of 7th grade students

The act of reading is a complex process which includes multiple elements coming together. The strategies, methods and techniques that are used during reading support the ability to understand what is read by improving the reading process. The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of the Transactional Reading Model on the reading comprehension skills of 7th grade students, and to reveal the opinions of students on this model. The study was conducted in the 2018-2019 Academic Year with the 7th grade Secondary School students in Elazig city center. The sampling in the quantitative dimension of the study consisted of a total of 66 students, 33 of whom were in the study group and 33 of whom were in the kontrol group. The sampling in the qualitative dimension consisted of 14 students who voluntarily participated in the study. In the present study, the Explanatory Sequential Design, which is one of the mixed method designs in which quantitative and qualitative data are used together, was used. The quantitative dimension of the study was designed in line with the experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. In the qualitative dimension, interviews were made with the students in the experimental group, and the interviews were recorded with an audio recorder. The implementation process of the study lasted 10 weeks which consisted of 8-week experimental implementation, and 2-week pretest and posttests. The current curriculum was applied in the control group in this period, and the courses in the experimental group were carried out with the activities that were prepared in line with the Transactional Reading Model. The strategies that were used in the experimental group were taught to the students with the Gradual Responsibility Transfer Model. To collect the quantitative data of the study, the "Reading Comprehension Tests", which was developed by the researcher; the "Reading Strategies Cognitive Awareness Scale (RSCAS), which was developed by Karatay (2009); the "Mental Image Evaluation Form (MIEF)", which was developed by the researcher, were used. To collect the qualitative data, the "Semi-Structured Interview Form", which was developed by the researcher, was used. The interview form, which was prepared to determine the opinions of the students on the experimental application process, consisted of a total of 9 open-ended items. These data collection tools were applied as pretests and posttests to the students in the experimental and control group. The Reading Comprehension Test was re-applied as a permanency test 6 weeks after the end of the experimental implementation process. The data that were obtained in the quantitative dimension of the study were analyzed by using a package program. In the analyses of the data, the percentages (%), frequencies (f), arithmetic mean values ( ), Standard Deviation (SD), t-test of Dependent Groups, t-test of Independent Groups, and Mann-Whitney U test were used. The Two-Way Variance Analysis (ANOVA) was used for mixed measurements. The Content Analysis Method was made use of in the analyses of the qualitative data. According to the findings obtained in the quantitative dimension of the study, a significant difference was detected between the reading comprehension, reading strategies cognitive awareness and mental image establishing scores of the students in the experimental and control group in favor of the experimental group. In terms of the permanence scores, it was also determined that the permanence scores of the experimental group students were statistically different from the permanence scores of the control group students. According to the qualitative findings of the study, it was determined that the experimental group students had positive opinions about the Transactional Reading Model. In addition, students also stated that Turkish teaching that was carried out according to the Transactional Reading Model improved reading comprehension skills, offered a funny, interactive and free classroom setting, improved collaborative skills, increased the permanence of knowledge, and ensured that different strategies, methods and techniques are used in the classroom environment, and also improved mental image building skills.