The effect of reading comprehension strategy usage on reading comprehension skill, metacognition and attitide towards reading

The focus of this study is the reading comprehension difficulties of the students in learning and teaching process. It would be better to start with Turkish course in order to solve this problem. Basically, the success in other courses is connected with the success in Turkish course because reading comprehension skill is required to be actively used in all courses.In this study the effect of Turkish instruction based on reading comprehension strategy on students? reading comprehension skills, metacognitive skills, attitudes towards reading and retention of these variables were investigated. While the level of reading comprehension, attitude towards reading, metacognition and retention are the dependent variables, the SQ3R which was the implemented reading comprehension strategy is the independent variable. In this study it was investigated that whether there is an effect of the independent variable on the dependent variables. The pre-test/post-test control group experimental design was used in the study. Groups were created according to one control and one experimental group design. Both groups were trained by their own teachers in order not to decrease the reliability.The study was carried out with fifth grade students attending Denizli Ticaret Borsasi Elementary School in centre of Denizli in 2010-2011 academic terms. A sample of 55 students (27 of them in the experimental group and 28 of them in the control group) was involved in the study. The groups were created according to the results of reading comprehension achievement test, metacognitive reading comprehension awareness instrument, attitude towards reading instrument and socio-demographic level instrument.The data obtained from the study were analyzed using SPSS 13.0 statistical programming. In analysing data, frequency, mean, standard deviation, percentage, paired sample t test, independent sample t test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA were used. After the means and the standard deviations were presented descriptively, their correlations were analyzed using One-way analysis of variance (Anova) covariance analysis (Ancova) and Repeated AnovaThe findings of this study;1) When reading comprehension achievement pre-test scores of students in experimental group who was trained by SQ3R reading comprehension strategy and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum were controlled, there is a significant difference between the post-test scores of the groups in favor of the experimental group.2) When reading comprehension achievement post-test scores of students in experimental group who was trained by SQ3R reading comprehension strategy and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum were controlled, there is a significant difference between the retention scores of the groups in favor of the experimental group.3) When metacognitive reading comprehension awareness instrument, pre-test scores of students in experimental group who was trained by SQ3R reading comprehension strategy and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum were controlled, there is a significant difference between the post-test scores of the groups in favor of the experimental group.4) When metacognitive reading comprehension awareness instrument, post-test scores of students in experimental group who was trained by SQ3R reading comprehension strategy and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum were controlled, there is a significant difference between the retention scores of the groups in favor of the experimental group.5) There is a significant difference between the experimental group students who was trained by SQ3R and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum. Significant difference was in favor of the experimental group.6) When attitude towards reading instrument, post-test scores of students in experimental group who was trained by SQ3R reading comprehension strategy and students in control group who was trained based on the current curriculum were controlled, there is no significant difference between the retention scores of the groups in favor of the experimental group.