Metacognitive Reading

Strategies & Mattering

A Small Group Counseling Intervention
Definitions
Metacognitive Reading Strategies
Metacognitive skills
Planning before reading, Self-monitoring during
reading, and Evaluating after reading
Knowledge of self as a reader
What helps me read better? What makes my reading
worse? What reading skills do I know? When, why, and
how do I use my reading skills?
Mattering
Perception of self as important to others
Feeling that one is a significant, contributing member of a
group

Previous Research:
Metacognitive Reading Strategies
Resource Conclusion Limitations
Boulware-
Gooden,
Careeker,
Thornhill, &
Joshi, 2007

3
rd
grade students who received
metacognitive reading strategy
instruction exhibited significantly higher
gains in vocabulary and reading
comprehension than control group
Possible that
vocabulary gains
interfered with
influence of
metacognitive
instruction on reading
comprehension
Takallou, 2011

Groups exposed to metacognitive
reading strategies (planning and self-
monitoring) significantly outperformed
the control group on measures of
reading comprehension and
metacognitive awareness.
Specific sample and
did not use a
complete battery of
skills in metacognitive
reading strategy
instruction, evaluative
skills were left out.
Previous Research:
Mattering
Resource Conclusion Limitations
Dixon &
Tucker,
2008

Mattering is significant to students
emotional-social health and can be
integrated into the foundation and
functions of a strengths-based school
counseling program.
All techniques and
examples provided are
conceptual in nature;
article does not provide
evidence-based strategies
for implementing a
mattering oriented
strengths-based school
counseling program.
Tucker,
Dixon, &
Griddine,
2010
Analysis of interviews with
academically successful African
American male high school students
found that students perception of
mattering was cited as a foundational
key to academic success.
Very small sample derived
from one school, study
would have to be repeated
with larger and more
diverse populations to
produce conclusive results.
Previous Research:
Academic/Personal-Social Group
Counseling
Resource Conclusion Limitations
Steen &
Kaffenberger,
2007

Small groups that integrated academic
and personal-social objectives were
effective in positively influencing the
academics of 24 students in the 3
rd
, 4
th
,
and 5
th
grade.
Lack of experimental
control, valid and
reliable assessment
instruments werent
used and there was
no control group.
Relevance to School Counseling
ASCA National Model
Academic and personal-social student competencies
Foundation of school counseling program should map onto
schools mission/vision
Emphasis in education on academic achievement and
performance
Reading comprehension is foundational to academic learning

Growing diversity in student populations
An increase in English Language Learners (ELLs) demands
a need for effective reading comprehension strategies to
prevent achievement gaps
School counselors serve all students and advocate for
equitable access to education

The Intervention:
A Single-Subject Design
Research Question:
Will a mattering-oriented metacognitive reading
comprehension study skills group counseling
intervention effect the reading comprehension
performance of 3
rd
grade students living Olive Chapel
Elementarys Cary node?
Participants
3 ELL students in the 3
rd
grade from the Cary node
24 students in Cary node
16 from Spanish-speaking families, 19 identified as
academically at-risk
Data recorded for 2 students

Data removed to protect privacy
The Intervention:
A Single-Subject Design
Delivery: Group Counseling

Metacognitive reading skills group
Instruction on metacognitive reading strategies
Self as a reader, planning, self-monitoring, evaluation

Orientation and emphasis on mattering
Group-share activities designed to enhance feelings of
mattering

6 sessions

The Intervention:
A Single-Subject Design
Data Collection
3 phases: Baseline, Intervention, Withdrawal
Scores on Read to Achieve passages to determine reading
comprehension performance
Scores on General Mattering Scale (Marcus 1991) to
measure mattering
Collected over 9 weeks: pre-group, during group, post-group

Data Analysis Results & Conclusions
Chart data points
Analyze graphs for level, trend, and variability
Draw conclusions

Limitations in the Literature:
Fill the Gaps
Influence of metacognitive reading strategies or
mattering on ELL elementary students? Not addressed.
Proposed study will investigate the effects of both these
constructs on the reading comprehension performance of
ELL elementary students

Call for mattering-oriented school counseling programs
without provision of evidence-based techniques
Single-subject design to empirically test effectiveness of
mattering-oriented small group counseling on academic
performance in reading comprehension


Limitations in the Literature:
Fill the Gaps
Integration of Academic/Personal-Social Objectives in
Group Counseling Academic Achievement

One previous study suggests this concept but lacked
thorough data collection
Proposed project will include baseline and post-intervention
data and utilize objective measures

Will this hold true for a group that incorporates
metacognitive reading strategies and mattering?
Single-subject research design to test if group intervention
influences students reading comprehension performance