Extended strategy-use instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency in a content subject

Abstract

BACKGROUND : Student reading challenges have been reported worldwide. In many classrooms around the world, teaching students appropriate strategy-use has been a technique used to improve comprehension and improve reading proficiency. However, strategy-use instruction per se may not produce holistic results. OBJECTIVES : This article reports on an extended strategy-use instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency in a particular subject area. The technique of role-play, as well as an integration of affective strategies, was used to improve the cohort of first-year students’ reading of subject-specific texts. METHOD : The intervention was conducted by way of tutorials. A questionnaire was used to elicit students’ views and opinions after the intervention. The responses were analysed using content analysis of emerging themes. RESULTS : Students reported benefiting from the intervention with respect to reading their assigned texts, as well as increased motivation. CONCLUSION : It is recommended that strategy-use instruction include other innovative techniques such as role-play to improve students’ reading proficiency in a specific subject.