Effects of an Integrated Language Arts Instructional Program on Learning Lab Students' Reading Comprehension

The effects of an integrated language arts instructional program on reading comprehension skills of learning lab students were examined using the Analytical Reading Inventory, and their attitudes toward recreational and academic reading were assessed using the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Subjects were at-risk fifth and sixth grade students, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years, who were enrolled in a single, self-contained learning lab class in southeast Mississippi. The integrated language arts instructional treatment period lasted for 9 months, with students responding to pre- and post-measures in September and May, respectively. Results of correlated t-tests revealed significant improvement in five out of six comprehension areas: ability to recall main ideas, ability to recall factual information, vocabulary development, inferential skills, and drawing conclusions. Ability to recognize cause-effect relationships was not significantly affected. Also, students improved significantly in their oral, independent-reading performance as well as in their word recognition skills. Students did not improve significantly in their attitudes toward recreational and academic reading. (One table of data is included; 14 references are attached.) (Author/RS)