Abstract of

The Strategic Reading Abilities and Potential of Five Low-Literacy Latina/o Readers in Middle School

Robert T. Jiménez

This research investigated the strategic literacy knowledge, abilities, and potential of five low-literacy Latina/o students in middle school. Three of the students were bilingual in Spanish and English, and they received the majority of their instruction in a special education classroom. The remaining two students were selected from a bilingual at-risk classroom and were Spanish dominant. Qualitative research methods were employed for this investigation. These included classroom observations, student and teacher interviews, thinkaloud data collection sessions, and the use of a formative experiment as part of the research design. The formative experiment consisted of eight cognitive strategy lessons, which were audiotaped and later analyzed to determine students' response to intensive cognitive strategy instruction. This instruction emphasized three strategies: resolving the meanings of unknown vocabulary items, asking questions, and making inferences. Students were also encouraged, as appropriate, to make use of their bilingual language abilities, such as searching for cognate vocabulary, translating, transferring information, and reflecting on text in either or both of their two languages. Culturally relevant and familiar text was used as the basis for all of the instruction. With instructional support, the participating students implemented the focal strategies that were emphasized during the formative experiment. For example, students in the special education classroom made use of the Spanish language in a number of ways that enhanced their comprehension, such as searching for cognate vocabulary and reflecting on text in Spanish. Students also produced extended discourse while reading culturally familiar text, and this extended discourse often formed the basis for accessing prior knowledge and making inferences. Implications of this research include rethinking instructional design and expectations concerning the learning of low-literacy Latina/o students in middle school.

Abstract from Jiménez, R.T. (1997). The Strategic Reading Abilities and Potential of Five Low-Literacy Latina/o Readers in Middle School. Reading Research Quarterly, 32(3), 224–243. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.32.3.1