Theoretical Framework Theory. Many Efforts To Deepen Teachers' Knowledge of Reading Processes and Skills

FACTORS AFFECTING THE READING COMPREHENSION AND ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS OF GRADE XI SAINT

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO IN COR JESU

INSTITUTE OF MABINI, INC
Theoretical Framework
Theory. Many efforts to deepen teachers' knowledge of reading processes and skills
have focused on individual components (i.e., working memory, fluency,
vocabulary, comprehension) however, such an approach does not necessarily help
teachers and educational leaders understand how these elements come together for
an individual reader with a particular piece of text. The following comment from
one teacher, after her initial exposure to the conceptual framework, illustrates its
power to transform teacher thinking:
“I've learned a lot about the various components of effective reading
instruction, but the components have always been presented separately.
There's working memory, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. For
the first time, I truly understand that these are not separate ideas. They are
connected in really important ways, and the most important thing is that
all the components are there to influence comprehension. I've never
thought about them that way. Thinking about how I am influencing
comprehension will make my working memory instruction and my
fluency practice look much different. Now I know that I'm not teaching
how to read for the sake of teaching reading alone. I'm teaching how to
read so my students will be able to comprehend text. If the way I'm
teaching how to read doesn't make it easier for my kids to comprehend
text, why do it? If any part of my reading instruction doesn't help
comprehension, what's the point?”
Despite the tremendous amount of reading research in recent years, many teachers
continue to struggle to implement evidence-based practices. Numerous studies have
demonstrated that many pre-service and practicing teachers lack the knowledge
necessary to use such practices effectively (Erickson, 2013). Teacher education and
professional development activities must organize the findings of research to make it
comprehensible for teachers.
Conceptual Framework
Independent Variable: Dependent Variable:
Reading Comprehension
 Working Memory Academic Performance

 Fluency
 Vocabulary
Sex
We have found the framework described here extremely useful in planning and
developing comprehensive reading programs, as well as reading intervention efforts.
Much has been written about the importance of teachers' pedagogical content
knowledge for improving classroom practice and student outcomes. The conceptual
framework of reading provides a useful model to coherently organize the content of
contemporary reading research in a way that can promote teachers' knowledge and
their efforts to enhance reading instruction and intervention to the students.
Working Memory
Working memory has also been identified as an integral part of reading
comprehension. Working memory is defined as an executive function responsible for
keeping and updating information in the mind (Rothlisberger, Neuenschwander,
Cimeli, & Roebers, 2013). Further, working memory is responsible for managing the
process of extracting information from text and integrating it with prior knowledge to
create meaning (Garcia-Madruga et al., 2013). Sequences of text-based information are
held in working memory and integrated with new incoming text and with prior
knowledge held in long-term memory. Research has established a correlation between
working memory and comprehension (Cain, Oakhill, & Bryant, 2004). In two studies,
Seigneuric (2000, 2005) and his colleagues found working memory to be a direct
predictor of reading comprehension scores among third and fourth graders, although
not significant for first and second graders. Further, a similar result emerged from a
study of 8 to 16 year olds, identifying working memory as a statistically-significant
predictor of reading comprehension (Christopher et al., 2012). The findings from these
three studies suggest that as text complexity increases with grade level, a greater
amount of working memory is needed for assimilating longer sentences with new
vocabulary into rapidly changing mental images. However, recent research indicates
that composite executive function scores are statistically significant predictors of
reading comprehension scores in pre-kindergarten through third grade as well
(Rothlisberger, Neuenschwander, Cimeli, & Roebers, 2013). Indeed, working memory
seems to play a critical role in reading comprehension across age groups.
Fluency
Fluency is a prerequisite skill to comprehension. It is the automatic recognition
of words that frees up the cognitive capacity required for comprehending the meaning
of the words (Pressley, 2002). Although early studies recognized decoding as the skill
that predicted differences in comprehension skills between children (Stanovich, 1986), a
landmark study of struggling readers revealed that only those who practiced reading
the words until they automatically recognized them were able to accurately answer
comprehension questions about the text (Tan & Nicholson, 1997). Fluency appears to be
a larger influence in developing reading comprehension skills for younger readers
compared to older ones. As text becomes more challenging with each grade level,
fluency becomes less predictive of reading comprehension and, instead, gives way to
vocabulary (Yovanoff, Duesbery, Alonzo, & Tindal, 2005). In a multivariate study of
Florida students’ reading comprehension scores, Schatschneider et al. (2005) discovered
that oral reading fluency did explain the differences in comprehension among third
grade students while vocabulary emerged as a major factor among older students.
Vocabulary
In order to extract meaning from text, a strong sense of semantics is required.
That is, children have to understand what words mean before they can construct
understanding of text passages. The first empirical study of the correlation between
word knowledge and reading comprehension was published over 70 years ago (Davis,
1942), and has been replicated in decades of research consistently identifying
knowledge of vocabulary as a primary predictor of reading comprehension
development (Braze, Tabor, Shankweiler, & Mencl, 2007). In one longitudinal study of
children from kindergarten through second grade, Roth, Speece, and Cooper (2002)
discovered that vocabulary skills, such as oral definitions and word retrieval, were the
best predictors of reading comprehension development. A similar study of at-risk
second graders revealed that verbal IQ was a statistically significant predictor of
reading comprehension in both the beginning and end of school year assessments
(Berninger, Abbott, Vermeulen, & Fulton, 2006). Indeed, the preponderance of research
indicates that vocabulary is a key contributor to reading comprehension development.

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FACTORS AFFECTING THE READING COMPREHENSION AND ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS OF GRADE XI SAINT

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO IN COR JESU

INSTITUTE OF MABINI, INC

 Working Memory Academic Performance

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