Use of High-Level Questioning to Increase Student Achievement in Reading

This action research project explored the impact of asking students higher-level questions during guided reading instruction to increase reading comprehension and engagement. The study took place with eight students in two different on grade-level guided reading groups in a second and a third grade classroom. Baseline data was collected before students were presented increasingly higher-level questions over the course of six-weeks and a post-assessment was given to monitor students’ growth in the areas of comprehension and engagement. Data collected during the study included comprehension pre and post assessments with scoring rubric, pre and post reading attitude surveys, weekly teacher observation checklists, and teacher observation journals. Week by week student comprehension engagement increased and at the completion of the intervention, students demonstrated an overall increased ability to engage with and comprehend what they had read. The intervention of introducing higher-level questioning into guided reading instruction proved effective and will continue to be implemented as instructional best-practice in each of the participating teachers’ classrooms. Keywords: higher-level questioning, reading comprehension, reading engagemen