Improving Reading Comprehension and Social Studies Knowledge in Middle School

Abstract This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a content acquisition and reading comprehension treatment implemented by eighth‐grade social studies teachers. Using a within‐teacher design, the eighth‐grade teachers’ social studies classes were randomly assigned to treatment or comparison conditions. Teachers ( n = 5) taught the same instructional content to both treatment and comparison classes, but the treatment classes used instructional practices focused on teaching essential words, text as a source for reading and discussion, and team‐based learning approaches. Students in the treatment conditions ( n = 261) scored statistically higher than students in the comparison conditions ( n = 158) on all three outcomes: content acquisition ( ES = 0.17), content reading comprehension ( ES = 0.29), and standardized reading comprehension ( ES = 0.20). Findings are interpreted as demonstrating support for the treatment in improving both knowledge acquisition and reading comprehension within content area instruction.