Increasing reading comprehension amongst gifted secondary students

Teaching general education students comes with a number of challenges when it comes to reading, fluency, and comprehension. Gifted learners add an extra challenge for educators. Being identified as students with higher intelligence and/or potential for learning, these students often develop their ability to read early in their education. However, the ability to read does not always go hand in hand with the ability to understand what has been read. Sometimes it is the fact that they are such early readers that leads to the problem; other times it is the environment. Regardless of the cause, it is our job as educators to help bridge the gap between being able to read and understanding what is read. In order to do that, we must first look at these students as the unique learners they are and develop a unique approach to the problem. This literature review will examine the factors that affect reading comprehension among gifted learners in sixth through twelfth grade: Which factor has a greater impact on their overall reading comprehension: teaching materials, classroom strategies, cooperative learning opportunities, or metacognitive strategies? Understanding these factors is important because gifted students may demonstrate strong reading ability while still struggling with deeper comprehension, analysis, and application of meaning. By examining these instructional approaches, educators can better identify the supports that meet gifted learners’ academic and cognitive needs. This review therefore aims to contribute to a more effective and differentiated approach to reading comprehension instruction for gifted secondary students.