Date of Award:
8-2018
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Department name when degree awarded
Teacher Education and Leadership
Committee Chair(s)
Sylvia Read
Committee
Sylvia Read
Committee
Marla Robertson
Committee
Eric Mohr
Committee
Amy Piotrowski
Committee
Genevieve Ford
Abstract
The purpose of this feasibility study is to provide evidence of how integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills into eighth-grade social studies instruction facilitates student understanding of content material and ability to write about social studies content. In this within-subjects paired-samples research study, 197 eighth-grade participants received instruction in a social studies content area and in argumentative writing. Data from a criterion-referenced social studies pre and posttest and data from pre and post instruction writing samples were analyzed to evaluate the influence of the integration of literacy tasks in middle school social studies classrooms on content area knowledge acquisition and argumentative writing quality. Analysis of the Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) data using regression analysis showed that there was a statistically significant increase in the students’ performance on the CRT after the students engaged in literacy tasks emphasizing reading, writing, speaking, and listening during the social studies instruction. Analysis of the writing rubric scores using Cohen’s d showed statistically significant differences exist between the students pre and post essay scores. These results suggest that having students engage in reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks and in explicit writing instruction and production during a social studies unit facilitates their content knowledge acquisition, improves the overall quality of students’ argumentative writing, and more specifically, improves the organization and development of that writing. It is recommended that further research be conducted to determine the best way to group students for collaboration when incorporating reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks within content area instruction.
Checksum
9c3dac027b98e4219bd2cf405d567e13
Recommended Citation
Evans, Marianne Bristow, "The Integration of Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Skills in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom" (2018). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 7157.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7157
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