| Low reading levels and lack of comprehension are current problems in high school classrooms confirmed by low standardized test scores and employer feedback as comprehension problems move into the workplace with students who do not have the necessary reading skills on the job. Midwestern high school science club students served as participants in the study with ages ranging from 14-18. The study was based on a pre-test-post-test control-group design by Creswell. Quantitative data was collected six times over a three-week period and was broken into two parts: Part 1 was three sessions using before-reading independent variables (classical, jazz, silence) with 69 students completing first three sessions; and Part 2 was three sessions of during-reading independent variables (classical, jazz, silence) with 75 students completing three sessions. This independent online course room study examined reading comprehension comparing pre and post-test comprehension results. Non-fiction high school level reading text sets were selected from Quality Reading Inventory-5th edition by Leslie and Caldwell (2011). Data was uploaded into a statistical analysis software program, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21.0) which provided an analysis of data using one-way ANOVA and means testing. Analysis showed a negative difference in group means between pre-and post-test results in both parts of the study; however, three tests showed significant differences. Prior to the study, students completed a computerized version of the Scholastic Reading Inventory to determine lexile levels. Several implications for the field of instructional design emerged including careful use of electronic text and music as a potential distraction to comprehension. |
