Role of reading engagement in mediating effects of reading comprehension instruction on reading outcomes

TLDR

The engagement model of reading development proposes that instruction enhances reading comprehension by increasing students' engagement in reading. The study compared Concept‑Oriented Reading Instruction, strategy instruction, and traditional instruction to determine their differential effects on fourth‑grade students' reading comprehension, strategy use, and engagement. Students were assigned to one of three instructional conditions—CORI, strategy instruction, or traditional instruction—in fourth‑grade classrooms, and their reading comprehension, strategy use, and engagement were assessed. Students receiving CORI outperformed both comparison groups on comprehension, strategy use, and engagement, but the advantage disappeared when engagement was statistically controlled, indicating that engagement mediates the instructional effects. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract

Abstract The engagement model of reading development suggests that instruction improves students' reading comprehension to the extent that it increases students' engagement processes in reading. We compared how Concept‐Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) (support for cognitive and motivational processes in reading), strategy instruction (support for cognitive strategies in reading), and traditional instruction in fourth‐grade classrooms differentially influenced students' reading comprehension, strategy use, and engagement in reading. Students experiencing CORI were significantly higher than both comparison groups on reading comprehension, reading strategies, and reading engagement. When students' level of reading engagement was statistically controlled, the differences between the treatment groups were not significant. We infer that the level of students' reading engagement during classroom work mediated the instructional effects on reading outcomes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.