Enhancing Children's Reading Comprehension through Instruction in Narrative Structure

Twenty average and below average fourth grade readers identified as lacking a keen sense of narrative structure were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: special instruction designed to develop knowledge of story structure or instruction in dictionary usage and word study. There were two phases of instruction, a short-term intensive phase and a long-term intermittent phase. The instruction in narrative structure did enhance story structure knowledge and had a strong positive effect on reading comprehension when compared to the dictionary usage and word study group. The effects were realized by the end of phase one; they were maintained during phase two, but the group differences did not increase over time.