The Effects of Two Organizational Patterns on Reading Achievement in First Grade

Most of the recent research concerned with reading instruction focuses on method, with only a few studies dealing with the organizational pattern used in the classroom for reading instruction. Since the organizational pattern determines what takes place during the reading instruction period, research should be more concerned with this aspect of teaching reading. It was the purpose of this study to test the following hypotheses:

1. There is no significant difference between the word recognition scores of first-graders instructed in reading using a whole group organizational pattern and first-graders instructed using a three-to-five group organizational pattern.

2. There is no significant difference between the reading comprehension scores of first-graders instructed in reading using a whole group organizational pattern and first-graders instructed using a three-to-five group organizational pattern.

Two first-grade classes from the Franklin County School System, Franklin County, Tennessee, were selected for this study. There were forty-eight students enrolled in these classes. Those students who were in first grade for the second year and those enrolled in Special Education classes were excluded from this study.

The First Reader Achievement Test for the Harper and Row Design for Reading, the basal reader series used in both classes, was administered to the two first-grade classes upon completion of the First reader, or at the end of the school year if the First Reader had not been completed. The scores for word recognition and comprehension obtained from this test were analyzed using the analysis of covariance, with a probability level of 0.05. The Metropolitan Readiness Test was administered to each class at the beginning of the school year. The scores on this test for each group were used as a covariant to equalize the groups since already-formed groups were used.

There was not a significant difference between the scores of the two groups on word recognition. There was a significant difference between the scores for the two groups on reading comprehension in favor of the whole group organizational pattern.

On the basis of these findings, one could say that perhaps the students in both groups could read words. Perhaps the group taught using the whole group organizational pattern were better readers. Because of the significant difference in reading comprehension scores, it seems reasonable that the students in the whole group class were more successful in getting information from what they read and in answering questions.

Learning to comprehend what is read is an essential element in reading instruction. The whole group class had more time each reading period since the period was longer and there were two periods per day to read and discuss the reader selections with the teacher.