Research on Junior Great Books and Shared Inquiry

Junior Great Books builds critical thinking for urban and suburban students in heterogeneous classes

Supporting opinions about a reading selection with evidence from the text is a vital skill for young readers and one that is increasingly measured on state and national assessments. A Great Books Foundation pilot study found that third graders who used Junior Great Books made significantly greater gains in this skill than students in ordinary classes, as shown in discussion and written responses. Junior Great Books students also tended to score higher on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than students who received basic reading instruction.

A cross section of urban students participated in the study. In eight of the twelve classrooms studied, the majority of students tested below grade level in reading before Junior Great Books. In half of the classrooms, the majority of students were from low-income communities, and eight classrooms had predominantly African American or Hispanic students.

Research design: Third-grade students in nine Chicago public schools and three suburban schools. Randomly selected treatment and control classes. Junior Great Books was used for 18 weeks. Critical thinking was measured by a discussion and an essay performance assessment. Victoria Chou Hare of the University of Illinois at Chicago designed the study.

Upon review of the study by the Program Effectiveness Panel of the U.S. Department of Education, Junior Great Books was designated an effective program for the National Diffusion Network. The Network was funded by the U.S. Department of Education to increase awareness and use of school programs of "proven effectiveness."

References

The Great Books Foundation. (1993). Our evaluation study. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation.

Criscuola, M. (1994). Read, discuss, reread: Insights from the Junior Great Books program. Educational Leadership. 58–61.

Criscuola, M., & Hare, V. C. (1992). The Junior Great Books curriculum of interpretive reading, writing, and discussion: A proposal submitted to the Program Effectiveness Panel for the National Diffusion Network of the U.S. Department of Education. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation.

Junior Great Books improves literal and inferential reading comprehension for lower-ability readers

An independent researcher found that with Junior Great Books less-able readers make greater gains in literal and inferential comprehension. These students, more than most, need to practice thinking skills around reading if they are to become better readers.

Shared Inquiry discussions "benefit the low-ability students in total reading comprehension. . . . If this program [were] integrated into the regular reading program on a weekly hourlong basis, students should be able to see marked improvements in their reading comprehension."

Research design: Fifth-grade students, grouped by reading level. Junior Great Books was used every other week. Reading comprehension was measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the researcher's original test of literal and inferential questions.

References

Heinl, A. M. (1988). The effects of the Junior Great Books program on literal and inferential comprehension. National Reading Conference, Tucson, Arizona.

High-ability readers gain in critical thinking, critical reading, and positive attitudes toward reading with Junior Great Books

Junior Great Books students showed strong improvement in thinking skills and critical reading on validated norm-referenced tests. As their critical reading skills grew, so did their positive attitude toward reading. In addition, boys and girls equally benefited from Junior Great Books.

The independent researcher concluded that Junior Great Books should be "considered by administrators and teachers as an integral part of the school reading program," to "provide greater improvement in critical-thinking and critical-reading skills."

Research design: Fifth-grade students, better readers. Matched groups assigned to Junior Great Books alone, Junior Great Books combined with a basal reader, or a basal reader alone. One semester or half of a semester of Junior Great Books was used. Pre- and posttesting. Critical thinking was measured by the Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Processes; critical reading by the Worden Critical-Thinking/Reading Appraisal; and attitudes toward reading by the Estes Attitude Scale.

References

Bird, J. J. (1984). Effects of fifth graders' attitudes and critical-thinking/reading skills resulting from a Junior Great Books program. Ed.D. dissertation, Rutgers University.

Shared Inquiry discussion strengthens students' response to literature and comprehension better than instruction in how to write questions

A comparative study showed that Shared Inquiry discussions enhanced students' ability to comprehend what they read and to write more interpretive responses in essays. In addition to improving higher-order interpretation of what they read, students who participated in discussion demonstrated better literal comprehension. Students who were taught to write interpretive questions wrote more questions and also produced more interpretive responses in their essays. Although instruction in writing questions improved students' writing, Shared Inquiry discussion—the core component of Junior Great Books—was shown to have a stronger effect on students' reading comprehension.

Research design: Sixth-grade students. Randomly selected groups for discussion and nondiscussion, and for question instruction and noninstruction. Three sessions each of reading, discussion, question writing and essay writing were held. Comprehension, question-writing skills, and interpretive responses on essays were measured by analysis of students' written questions and essays.

References

Graup, L. B. (1985). Response to literature: Student-generated questions and collaborative learning as related to comprehension. Ed.D. dissertation, Hofstra University.

Shared Inquiry questioning helps beginning readers more than prediction questions

Young less-able readers gained more literal comprehension of stories with shared inquiry questioning than with prediction questions. Students who participated in shared inquiry discussions recalled characters, events, and plot or structure better than students who took part in sessions of reading with prediction questions.

The academic researchers concluded that shared inquiry discussion "required [students] to interact at a greater depth of meaning and to use the factual information of the stories in this interaction." The "formulation and the defense of a personal position resulted in greater recall" of the text.

Research design: First- and third-grade students reading one year or more below grade level, who were enrolled in a summer-school Chapter 1 program. Children were randomly assigned to shared inquiry, prediction, or control groups. Two stories were read aloud and discussed. Comprehension was assessed by applying the Goodman-Burke Reading Miscue Inventory to students' retellings of the stories.

References

Biskin, D. S., Hoskisson, K., & Modlin, M. (1976). Prediction, reflection, and comprehension. The Elementary School Journal, 77, 131–139.

Shared Inquiry discussion at home appeals to parents and improves students' learning

When parents discussed interpretive questions at home with their Junior Great Books students, everyone benefited, an inschool research project showed. Students showed stronger mastery of the readings. Parents found their involvement more interesting; they preferred questions that went beyond factual recall.

The researcher noted that parent-child shared inquiry discussions at home can be a direct and inexpensive strategy that a classroom teacher can implement to enhance school achievement.

Research design: Students in grades 5–8, participating in a classroom program. A randomly selected program group was chosen to participate in at-home discussion with parents or to be in the control group. Recall was measured by an original test of recall questions. Effects were seen two years after participation.

References

Wirtschafter, C. L. (1983). Parent involvement in a literature enrichment program for students in grades five through eight. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky.