The Impact of the Interactive Reading Model on Grade 7 Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement

Abstract

The study aimed at examining the impact of the interactive reading model on students’ reading comprehension achievement. Quasi-experimental research design with a pre-post-test control group design was used to model the study. The participants were 81 grade 7 students (n=41 for the experimental and n= 40 for the control group) who attended their lessons in Leul Alemayehu Primary School in 2021/2022 that were selected with a lottery sampling technique. The experimental process lasted six weeks: 12 class hours, twice a week for 40’ per session. The experimental group was taught through the interactive model of reading. In contrast, the control group was taught through the conventional method. Parallel forms of reading comprehension tests were used to collect data, and parallel forms of reliability were checked by Pearson correlation and found to be (r=.805**). Data were analysed using an independent sample t-test, and the effect size was calculated to see the practical significance of the research outcome. The independent sample t-test result showed that the experimental group had a significant difference from the control group’s reading comprehension achievement t (79) = 3.138, p <0.05. The effect size was found to be large. Thus, it is recommended that different interactive reading activities be considered to improve reading comprehension achievement.