Metacognitive support for reading in science classrooms

Students struggle to read science texts. This is especially problematic for designers of inquiry-based learning environments that make ambitious demands on readers. We report on our efforts to provide targeted strategic supports for struggling adolescent readers in science classrooms. Environmental science and biology high school students learned to use tools designed to foster three specific metacognitive skills: recognizing text structure, reflecting on content, and representing the gist of a text in a summary. During one school year, students had regular opportunities to use these strategies in class. Participants completed one tool use assessment at the end of the school year in which they used the tools during reading of a science text. Students then answered science comprehension questions about the text. Tool proficiency was correlated with both reading and science achievement. Tool proficiency also predicted science achievement when controlling for on-entry reading ability. The implications for science instruction are discussed.