Middle school teachers' knowledge and use of comprehension strategies in discipline instruction

Abstract

This mixed method study investigated the total minutes 6 Social Studies and 6 English-Language Arts seventh grade-teachers taught and used comprehension strategies in their discipline area teaching. Three 45-minute observations of each teachers were used to determine reading comprehension strategies taught by individual teachers. Measures of teachers acquired reading comprehension strategy knowledge were compiled through focused interviews and a questionnaire. Reported practices and knowledge were compared to the observations of their classroom instruction. Interview and questionnaire data were analyzed using coding to identify patterns, themes, and repetition of words or key words, and use of phrases or sentences that reveal similarities of participants' strategy instruction. Data revealed all 12 teachers spent only 89 minutes on comprehension strategy instruction, representing 5.5% of their total instructional time. Forty-two percent of the teachers indicated that they received training from a State Region Education Service Center, college and university courses, and district initiatives.