Illinois Education Research Symposium

1
Illinois Education Research Symposium

• Using a Study-reading Intervention to Increase
  Student Success in a Community College Nursing
  Program
• Peg Gallagher RN, MSN
• June 11, 2002

2
Research Context

• IL nursing shortage
• Success in nursing programs

3
Problem Statement
WRHC program research suggests the need for a
reading comprehension training program for
nursing students who are deficient in their
reading skills.
4
Textbook Study-reading

• a strategic approach to reading in which
  students adjust their comprehending behavior
  before, during, and after reading with the
  purpose of satisfying a specific task.
• (Caverly, Orlando, Mullen, 2000)

5
Textbook Study-reading

• Grounded in the cognitive- constructivist
  perspective with a focus on the following
  processes
• cognitive
• metacognitive
• affective

6
Textbook Study-reading

• Reader
• Material Academic Task
• Direct Instruction of strategies
• Bransford, J. D. (1979) Jenkins, J.J. (1979)

7
Textbook Study-reading

• Study-reading in nursing education
• students
• texts
• exams
• instruction

Medical Surgical Nursing
8
Questions of Interest

• Will students who participate in the study-
• reading course earn higher grades in the
• beginning nursing course?
• Will students who participate in the study-
• reading course use study-reading
• behaviors?

A
9
Research Design
Randomized control group experiment.
Independent variable Study-reading
course Dependent variables 8 and 16-week
grade in NUR 101 Student use of study-reading
behaviors Study Behavior Inventory Study-rea
ding Scoring Rubric

10
Methodology
Participants All 2001 admits to the nursing
program who scored below the cutoff on the
reading comprehension portion of their admission
examination.
11
Intervention
Reading Comprehension Essentials for Nursing
Students

• Active reading--before, during after reading
• Academic task of nursing
• Apply study-reading strategies to nursing
  material
• Monitor learning

12
Sample Nursing Textbook Material
Classification of Surgery The types of surgical
procedures are classified according to
seriousness, urgency, and purpose (Table 49-1). A
procedure may fall into more than one
classification. For example, surgical removal of
a disfiguring scar is minor in seriousness,
elective in urgency, and reconstructive in
purpose. Frequently the classes overlap. An
urgent procedure is also considered major in...
13
Sample Nursing Textbook Material
Classification of Surgery The types of surgical
procedures are classified according to
seriousness, urgency, and purpose (Table 49-1). A
procedure may fall into more than one
classification. For example, surgical removal of
a disfiguring scar is minor in seriousness,
elective in urgency, and reconstructive in
purpose. Frequently the classes overlap. An
urgent procedure is also considered major in
seriousness. The same operation may be...
Use the objectives classes of surgery?
For example,
14
Study-reading Exercises

• Before reading the assignment I...
• went to my reading chair thought about my moms
  surgery read the objectives
• While reading the assignment I
• underlined key information read through the
  tables wrote questions in the margins
• After reading the assignment I
• reviewed daily asked questions of my peers

15
Think-aloud Technique

• Demonstrates note-taking Different
  classifications of surgeriesprobably something I
  need to know. P.A.
• Using prior knowledge This is something we
  discussed in clinical last week..my client...
  C.Y.
• Skips graphics I dont always look at those
  tablesI will usually bypass them in my reading
  and get back to it if I need to find something.
  L.T.

16
Outcomes
Improved academic performance 8-week grade
16-week grade treatment group M82
M80.5 N17 SD5.6 SD4 control
group M80.1 M80.2 N22
SD5.4 SD3.1 mean differences not
significant
17
Outcomes

• Use of study-reading behaviors
• SBI pre- post-
• SBI Factor 2 score M41.7 M44.1
  N19 SD7.5 SD6.8
• mean difference is not significant
• Study-reading Rubric
• scores did not show improvement across the
  course

18
Implications

• Increase class time before semester begins
• More instructor modeling and student practice of
  study-reading and think-aloud technique
• Pre and post test control group with SBI
• Decrease number of study-reading exercises and
  include instructor feedback.
• Evaluate study-reading use with the rubric
• Evaluate ability to monitor learning by
  predicting performance on textbook assignments

19
For further information, pgallagh_at_harpercollege.cc
.il.us To download slides, www.cedu.niu.edu/smit
h