Does using nonfiction leveled readers for guided reading have the same effect as fiction in developing first grader's comprehension?

In this study, I asked the question: Does using nonfiction leveled readers for guided reading groups have the same effect as using fiction? Two different groups of children were used in the study. One group, which I called the nonfiction group, consisted of six children and only read nonfiction for guided reading groups. Group two also consisted of six children and read only fiction for guided reading groups. Both groups were heterogeneously mixed. I wished to compare the differences between the two genres and the success the children had, or did not have, with them. Both groups were given a pretest and a posttest. Overall, both groups were successful. Some of the groups of students that I compared made the same amount of progress, and some did not. However, they all made the amount of progress that I expected from both groups. One group did not outshine the other. Originally, I believed the boys would have done better with nonfiction. Boys in both groups were equally successful. Surprisingly, it was found that the girls actually did better with nonfiction. The use of nonfiction books during guided reading is just as useful as narrative text. Keywords: Nonfiction, Fiction, Leveled Readers, Guided Reading, Comprehensio