Graphic organisers (GOs) as a reading strategy to improve reading comprehension skills of grade 6 students in a government school of district Hyderabad Sindh Pakistan
Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Philosophy in Education
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
Research shows that Graphic organisers (GOs) have quickly become an appropriate paradigm McKnight (2013) and GOs are teaching tool across subjects in the education field globally (Uba, Oteikwu, Onwuka, & Abiodun-Eniayekan, 2017). The current research explores the successes and challenges of implementing graphic organisers to improve the reading comprehension skills of grade 6 students in a government school of district Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Action research under the qualitative paradigm was employed and data collected from participants that comprised six students and an EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, observations, document analysis, and focus group discussions. Findings showed that the use of GOs as an instructional technique facilitates students’ reading comprehension of the text. Besides, there are contradictions in using GOs as a reading strategy due to the difficulty in understating the terms used in GO, the instructional context, the level of students, and teachers’ training in the use of GOs to promote students’ reading comprehension. The study participants revealed that they had never heard about the term graphic organisers. However, when graphic organisers were implemented in the classroom as a reading strategy, while working on GOs learners engaged with text and their understanding of the text increased. Therefore, instruction with GOs facilitated students in reading comprehension as compared to conventional teaching practices.
Recommended Citation
Parshotam, R. (2020). Graphic organisers (GOs) as a reading strategy to improve reading comprehension skills of grade 6 students in a government school of district Hyderabad Sindh Pakistan (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.