THE IMPACT OF SQ4R STRATEGY ON DEVELOPING ORAL READING SKILLS FOR FIRST INTERMEDIATE GIRLS STUDENTS

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the SQ4R strategy on the development of oral reading skills among for first Intermediate Girls Students at the preparatory school. The total number of students was 62, who were first randomly divided into two groups, 32 students forming the experimental group and 30 the control group. The study was conducted according to the experimental method of research which compared both groups that underwent it in order to reveal the impact on the strategy. In order to avoid bias and for reliability, some matching was done between the groups: intelligence, pre-test scores in oral reading skills, chronological age in months, and educational attainment of parents. Before application, the SQ4R strategy was also controlled for additional external factors identified in previous studies and in the literature. The results were analyzed statistically through tools like Chi-square test, t-test, difficulty and discrimination indices, alternative effectiveness calculations, Kuder-Richardson formula, Cohen’s d, Eta-squared (η²). The findings revealed that students in the experimental group had done better in oral reading skills than those in the control group, which may be taken to indicate that the SQ4R strategy is good for improving speed in these aspects. In view of these results, it is recommended that an instructional booklet on the SQ4R strategy, containing its steps and ways of application, should be published. It can be distributed in the educational directorates in Iraq to be of benefit in the interest of teachers and students. The other alternative is recommending the incorporation of the SQ4R strategy into the teacher’s guide as one of the development programs for teachers. Further studies could be conducted on the effect of the SQ4R strategy in other educational variables regarding the development of critical reading skills in middle school students. As well as its effect on cultivating an interest in reading on the part of learners.