Extended Abstract Format

I. Reference Information
McCulley, L. V. and Osman, D. J. (2015). Effects of reading instruction on learning outcomes in
social studies: A synthesis of quantitative research. The Journal of Social Studies
Research, 39, 183-195.

II. Summary of the Literature Review/Background

When transitioning from elementary to secondary school, students often struggle with the
demands of content and literary mastery due to the fact that comprehension activities become
more abstract and centered around critical thinking. McCulley and Osman’s study attempts to
summarize research performed over the past 30 years with the goal of improving content
knowledge and reading comprehension through literacy instruction in social studies classes.

Struggling readers in social studies classrooms are often unable to make connections between the
past and the present, which is a critical skill in analyzing historical information. Secondary social
studies teachers tend to feel ill-equipped in assisting struggling readers and oppose the idea of
sacrificing time devoted to social studies content to provide time for reading instruction. In a
2015 study of middle and high school social studies teachers’ instructional practices, which was
conducted by Swanson et al., students across all observed classes were only required to read for
10.4% of total observed time. This required reading tended to primarily be independent and there
was little to no explicit support from the teacher. These outdated teaching practices are at odds
with the fact that text comprehension builds background knowledge, and instructional practices
intend to improve students’ literacy practices in social studies classes and ultimately lead to
improvement of their content knowledge. In order to test this hypothesis, Swanson et al. (2012)
conducted a systematic research for studies where at least one outcome measured assessed social
studies content learning or reading comprehension related to social studies concepts. Their
research concluded that the use of reading interventions, such as graphic organizers, guided
notes, and mnemonics, that used social studies content were particularly effective for students
with learning disabilities. In 1983 Wade synthesized research on reading instruction for all
students in secondary social studies classes between the years of 1950 and 1980. Their findings
supported that reading instruction in secondary social studies classes were positively related to
the students’ reading and study skills. The most effective strategies involved direct instruction on
reading strategies in social studies classes, along with meaningful reading during social studies
instructional time. Wade’s research still remains relevant today along with several issues that
concerned Wade during the 80s. These issues are as follows: a disconnect exists between reading
instruction in English classes and content-based instruction in social studies classes, social
studies teachers are still relying on lecture and video to convey content knowledge in lieu of
integrating text, and there is a lack of rigorous experimental research on reading instruction for
secondary social studies students.
III. Research Question(s)/Purpose of the Research
What outcomes related to acquisition of content knowledge and/or reading comprehension result
from instruction delivered to students in the general education social studies setting?

IV. Research Design (Independent Variables)

The various groups within this study consist of students enrolled in grades 6-12 in the United
States. All were between the ages of 11 and 18 years. It is important to note that less than half of
the participants had a learning disability.

V. Performance Measurement (Dependent Variables)

The article states, “At least one dependent variable measured a learning outcome.” These
learning outcomes could be content acquisition or reading comprehension.

VI. Research Results:

The study found that implementing reading instruction in general education social studies
classrooms improved the outcomes of social studies content-knowledge and social studies
readings. This was found true for the various groups between the ages of 11 and 18. The use of
different mediums also helped students improve and both in the acquisition of content and on the
Gates-MacGinite Reading Test (the test used for comparing the control to the variable students).

II. Implications of the Research:

The implementation of reading instruction in social studies classrooms overall showed that there
was improvement in the reading comprehension abilities in students.There has been hesitation by
many social studies teachers about introducing hard content to read into their classrooms. This,
however, should be overshadowed by the fact that the implementation of content reading
improves comprehension acquisition. This means that the more social studies teachers involve
reading into their curriculum, the more their students will comprehend.

VIII. Questions: Do these methods also work for gifted students?