Using cooperative learning to close the reading attainment gap for students with low literacy levels for Grade 8/Year 9 students. (2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thurston, Allen; Cockerill, Maria; Craig, Nicole
• Is Part Of: International journal of educational research. Volume 94(2019)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 10
• Publication Date: 2019
• Subjects: Peer tutoring -- Cooperative learning -- Improved reading -- High school students -- Randomised controlled trial; Education -- Evaluation -- Periodicals; Curriculum evaluation -- Periodicals; Education -- Periodicals; Program Evaluation -- Periodicals; Éducation -- Évaluation -- Périodiques; Programmes d'études -- Evaluation -- Périodiques; Éducation -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Curriculum evaluation; Education -- Evaluation; Periodicals; 370.72
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2019.02.016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0883-0355

Abstract

Highlights: This research reports on a cooperative learning reading intervention with high-school students. The intervention used peer tutoring with structured patterns of interaction. Reading was measured using independent standardised measures of reading. The programme promoted gains in reading attainment for the bottom decile of readers who acted as tutors. Abstract: A randomized controlled trial of peer tutoring was undertaken in 60 Grade 6/Year 7, and 60 Grade 8/Year 9 classrooms (1299 Grade 6/Year 7 students and 1275 Grade 8/Year 9 students). Grade 8/Year 9 students acted as reading tutors to Grade 6/Year 7 students. Reading attainment was measured with an independent commercially available standardized reading attainment test with two sub-scales, sentence completion and passage comprehension. Results of multi-level modeling indicated significant gains in sentence completion for students acting as tutors in the bottom decile of reading, with no gains, nor deficits observed in the sample as a whole.