A project aimed at improving reading and study skills at Gonzaga High School, St. John's, Newfoundland

Gillard, Louis Aimee (1976) A project aimed at improving reading and study skills at Gonzaga High School, St. John's, Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The intern was interested in improving reading and study skills among the students of two grade ten classes at Gonzaga High School, St. John's. Since reading and study are processes fundamental to the learning process, it was thought that any improvement brought about by the building up of new skills in these areas would positively affect the student's achievement levels by making his tasks more challenging and giving him a more positive attitude toward his school work. -- A number of questions presented themselves related to the kinds of reading and study skills needed by the students and best suited to their level of ability and rate of learning. -- The intern felt that it was important to ascertain in a concrete and realistic way, what reading and study skills his students lacked and what he could do to enable each of them, beginning at his own level, to pursue a program that would enhance his reading ability and, at the same time, foster techniques that would assist him in dealing effectively with his school work. -- Accordingly, the intern designed a project to improve the reading and study skills of two grade ten classes at his school. To measure real gains made by students immediately involved in the study, the intern set up a controlled situation involving two additional grade ten classes. -- The project entailed four major tasks: (1) a survey of study habits and attitudes, (2) the administration of a reading test to determine the reading levels of the students involved in the study, (3) a special training period for two of the classes involved in the study, and (4) the administration at the end of the program of the alternate form of the reading test given at the inception of the project. -- One of the basic assumptions of the project was that reading was basic and fundamental to success in a changing world situation. Consequently, by emphasizing the skill's that promote both reading and study, the teacher can help students acquire the necessary tools to meet the challenges of the school and of the world at large. -- The survey of study habits and attitudes showed that the students involved in the study possessed negative attitudes towards their teachers and their school work. They also tended to procrastinate. -- The pretest findings on the reading test showed that the students had generally low vocabulary levels. There were also wide ranges apparent in the comprehension and reading rate scores on the test. -- The post-test findings showed that the students who had been involved in the reading and study skills program had, indeed, made real gains in vocabulary, comprehension, and reading rate. -- Correlations between pretest and post-test scores on the reading test and between other variables measured in this study showed positive and near-significant relationships in most cases. -- The project showed that given an organized but largely self-directed approach, students of various levels of educational ability, motivation, and interest could be brought together to work toward the improvement of their reading and study skills.

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