The Impact of Using Written Retelling Strategy on Improving Reading Comprehension Achievement and Retention for Ninth Graders in Palestine

Abstract

The study aims at investigating the effectiveness of using written retelling strategy(WRS) on improving reading comprehension achievement and retention. The study handles the following reading comprehension skills, retention of information embedded in the reading text, relating to real life experience and expressing opinions. To answer the questions of the study, the researcher adopted the quasi- experimental approach. The researcher purposively select a representative sample of (72) ninth graders from Amena Bent Wahab Secondary School for girls in Rafah. The participants were distributed into two equivalent groups, each of which consisted of (36) students. WRS was used in teaching the experimental group, while the traditional method was used with the control one during the second term of the school year (2011-2012).An achievement test was designed and validated to be used as a pre–post test. In addition, the researcher prepared an interview to investigate students' opinions towards the written retelling strategy as a new strategy in learning reading texts. The data of the study were analyzed by using T-test independent sample. Effect size technique was used to measure the effect size of written retelling strategy on the experimental group in each scope of the text. The results of the study revealed that the written retelling strategy was effective in improving reading comprehension achievement and retention. Taking into account this large impact that the findings showed, the researcher recommends the use of WRS to develop reading comprehension skills and retention. Moreover, she recommends the use of the same strategy to develop other English language skills and other school subjects, as well.