Improving Struggling Readers’ Reading Attitude and Comprehension using LINKS (An Integrated Literature-Skills Instructional Framework)

Abstract

Students who struggle to meet the demands of reading expected at their age and grade should be given a lot of opportunities to read real and relatable materials and be explicitly taught skills in the context of good literature. In response to this need, this study looked into the effects of using LINKS (An Integrated Literature-Skills Instructional Framework) on the reading attitude and reading comprehension of 13 struggling readers between the ages of 10 and 13.

After a 5-week, 30-hour exposure to the program, results showed a statistically significant difference in the students’ reading comprehension. However, there was still no significant difference in reading attitude after intervention though quantitative and qualitative measures indicate improvement. This implies that with explicit teaching and many opportunities for learning and practicing reading skills and strategies in the context of good quality literature, struggling readers will be able to overcome their difficulty in understanding what they read. There is a need to lengthen the program’s implementation and exposure of readers to authentic reading materials, as well as the need to further explore how family literacy practices and the home environment affect reading attitude and comprehension.