Modified Reciprocal Teaching in a Regular Classroom

This study was designed to increase reading comprehension and academic achievement of students through the use of a modified reciprocal teaching program. Modified reciprocal teaching involved small groups of students working together to read and comprehend a portion of text. The students took turns “teaching” these groups by assisting the rest of the group in selecting key words and phrases, summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. Students were randomly assigned to one of three seventh-grade regular education social studies classes. One class used modified reciprocal teaching twice a week for 8 weeks. The other two classes received a traditional instructional program. All classes were taught by the same teacher. Significant differences included higher scores on comprehension tests and writing samples, improvement in second-quarter social studies grades, and better conduct records for students who participated in modified reciprocal teaching. Several explanations for the superior performance of the modified reciprocal teaching group are hypothesized.