Implementing the Framework for Accelerating Strategic Comprehension of Text (FASCT) to improve reading comprehension

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the effectiveness of the Framework for Accelerating Strategic Comprehension of Text (FASCT) or the Text Structure Strategy (TSS) to improve reading comprehension skills. Fifth and sixth grade Maltese students in one experimental school and one control school participated in the research. Six teachers in the experimental school were trained to use the FASCT in their Maltese and English reading comprehension lessons. The teachers in turn taught their students to apply the strategy to Maltese and English texts throughout the 2018/2019 academic year. In contrast, the control school’s participants followed business-as-usual reading comprehension lessons throughout the same year. The Maltese Text Structure Test (MTST), developed for the purpose of this research, and two standardised Maltese and English grade-level reading comprehension tests (RC) (Agius, 2012) were administered to 203 students in both schools before and after the FASCT implementation in the experimental school. Performance in the MTST and RC tests was compared across six independent variables: gender, grade, ability, research condition, home, and school language. Information collected through the parent questionnaires enabled grouping of these independent variables. The experimental school’s performance in these tests was compared to the control school’s performance. Additional information about the ecological components of reading instruction, namely the textbooks and resources, text-types, and strategies used by the teachers in both schools was collected through the teacher questionnaires and compared with the students’ performance in the administered tests. Results show that the experimental school participants improved their performance in text structure identification after the FASCT implementation. Sixth grade students, females, and typically developing children performed better in the administered tests. The languages used at school and home also affected the participants’ performance in the tests. Resources obtained online and books used by the teachers in this study were related to the participants’ MTST and standardised reading comprehension scores. Expository texts were related to the participants’ scores. The strategies used by teachers in reading comprehension lessons were also related to the scores obtained. Reliability findings showed that the MTST can obtain consistent results over time. In contrast, validity findings indicated that the meaningfulness and applicability of the MTST needs to improve. Finally, the educational and clinical implications, and future directions of this study are discussed.