Research Article

An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students

Volume: 17 Number: 72 November 20, 2017
  • M. Emir Ruzgar
  • Cem Babadogan
TR EN

An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students

Abstract

Purpose: International exam scores of Turkish students, specifically of Project for International Student Achievement, attest that the level of comprehension of Turkish students is not satisfactory. Learning styles can be of use to schools in designing reading programs and materials to help Turkish students to improve their reading achievement. Hence, the primary purpose of this study was to examine 5th graders’ reading comprehension scores across some variables, and assess which variables predict their reading comprehension scores.

Research Methods: The participants of the study were 1307 fifth grade students from nine different middle schools of Ankara. Instruments of the study were the Reading Comprehension Test and the Grasha-Reichmann Learning Styles Inventory. We used descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis H Test, the Mann-Whitney U Test, and regression Findings: Comprehension scores of students who have a bookshelf at home are higher than those who do not. Moreover, those who have more books at home and who have read more books are more successful in comprehension. In addition, daily reading time and number of weekly reading exercises also have an impact on comprehension scores. The results of regression analysis show that only one type of learning style (dependent) significantly predicts comprehension scores. This prediction is slight and negative.

Implications for Research and Practice: We suggest that upcoming scholarship on similar topics focuses on conducting similar studies with a more diverse set of predictive variables and different grade levels than 5th grade. We recommend that parents have at least one bookshelf in the home environment since our results show that having a bookshelf significantly increases comprehension scores.

Keywords

References

  1. Anderson, R. C., Wilson, P. T., & Fielding, L. G. (1988). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly, 23(3), 285-303.
  2. Atchison, M. K. (1988). The relationship between the learning styles and reading achievement of sixth-grade students in the state of Alabama. (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (Order No. 8821790).
  3. Baykul, Y., Gürsel, M., Sulak, H., Ertekin, E., Yazıcı, E., Dülger, O., Aslan, Y., & Büyükkarcı, K. (2010). A validity and reliability study of Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scale. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 5(3), 177-184.
  4. Bleakley, M. E., Westerberg, V., & Hopkins, K. D. (1988). The effect of character sex on story interest and comprehension in children. American Educational Research Journal, 25(1), 145-155.
  5. Block, C. C., Parris, S. R., Reed, K. L., Whiteley, C. S., & Cleveland, M. D. (2009). Instructional approaches that significantly increase reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(2), 262-281.
  6. Brown, B. W. (1991). How gender and socioeconomic status affect reading and mathematics achievement. Economics of Education Review, 10(4), 343-357.
  7. Brozo, W. G., Shiel, G., & Topping, K. (2007). Engagement in reading: Lessons learned from three PISA countries. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51(4), 304-315.
  8. Cassidy, S. (2004). Learning styles: An overview of theories, models and measures. Educational Psychology, 24(4), 420-436.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

M. Emir Ruzgar This is me

Cem Babadogan This is me

Publication Date

November 20, 2017

Submission Date

November 20, 2017

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2017 Volume: 17 Number: 72

APA
Ruzgar, M. E., & Babadogan, C. (2017). An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(72), 129-146. https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE
AMA
1.Ruzgar ME, Babadogan C. An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research. 2017;17(72):129-146. https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE
Chicago
Ruzgar, M. Emir, and Cem Babadogan. 2017. “An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students”. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 17 (72): 129-46. https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE.
EndNote
Ruzgar ME, Babadogan C (November 1, 2017) An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 17 72 129–146.
IEEE
[1]M. E. Ruzgar and C. Babadogan, “An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students”, Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, vol. 17, no. 72, pp. 129–146, Nov. 2017, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE
ISNAD
Ruzgar, M. Emir - Babadogan, Cem. “An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students”. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research 17/72 (November 1, 2017): 129-146. https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE.
JAMA
1.Ruzgar ME, Babadogan C. An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research. 2017;17:129–146.
MLA
Ruzgar, M. Emir, and Cem Babadogan. “An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students”. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, vol. 17, no. 72, Nov. 2017, pp. 129-46, https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE.
Vancouver
1.M. Emir Ruzgar, Cem Babadogan. An Examination of Reading Comprehension and Learning Styles of 5th Grade Students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research [Internet]. 2017 Nov. 1;17(72):129-46. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA28MN73LE