Project Activities
The researchers proposed to develop the Content Comprehension Strategy Intervention, a curricular supplement that provided guided practice in reading comprehension and writing skills using text from science textbooks of the type that students will encounter in later course work. The Content Comprehension Strategy Intervention was to focus on summarization and clarification of information and generation of questions about science text, provide preparation for tests that students must pass to exit remediation, and teach students how to transfer these skills.
Structured Abstract
THE FOLLOWING CONTENT DESCRIBES THE PROJECT AT THE TIME OF FUNDING
Setting
The data will be collected in developmental education (remedial) programs in three community colleges in New York, Florida, and Texas.
Sample
Participants are 1200 students enrolled in 48 upper-level developmental education courses at 3 different community colleges. Participants are low socioeconomic status adults mainly of African American and Latino background, aged approximately 18- to 35-years old. Many aspire to science-intensive degrees in nursing, allied health, and technology, but are hindered by low academic skills.
The intervention to be developed is the Content Comprehension Strategy, a curricular supplement that provides guided practice in reading comprehension and writing skills using text from science textbooks of the type that students will encounter in later course work. The Content Comprehension Strategy focuses on summarization and clarification of information and generation of questions about science text, provides preparation for tests that students must pass to exit remediation, and teaches for transfer.
Research design and methods
This project will employ an experimental design with groups randomly assigned to conditions, and pre-tests and post-tests. The potential of contextualization is determined by comparison with the use of generic (non-science) text of similar text structure, readability, and text density to the science text. Classrooms will be nested in instructional treatment (treatment and no-treatment control), and students in the treatment condition will be nested within instructional conditions.
Control condition
A no-treatment control group will receive standard remedial education classes offered by the community colleges.
Key measures
Measures include the Nelson-Denny Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Tests and a battery of project-developed pre- and post-tests to measure written summarization skills for science, science knowledge, science interest, science vocabulary knowledge, the ability to generate science questions, and near and far transfer of the various skills. Community college institutional data will be used to assess and track outcomes on passing the standardized test needed to exit remediation, as well as retention, course grades, grade point average, and graduation. This development project is intended only to obtain evidence of the potential efficacy of the intervention; initial analyses will be at the level of the student.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Questions about this project?
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