Teachers of secondary level vocational education (VE) in Quebec, Canada, anticipate students to possess sufficient reading skills that fulfill curriculum requirements, yet several students lack proficiency in reading. Although new educational models advocate the integrated teaching of reading comprehension in various academic disciplines in secondary school education, there was no model in Canada or elsewhere for the full integration of reading strategies in VT in particular, by VT teachers, on which we could draw. In such a model, full integration would take the form of the simultaneous teaching of reading strategies and discipline-specific instruction by the same teacher, for example, the secretarial or hairdressing teacher. Our research-action project aimed to incorporate a validated pedagogical method for enhancing reading comprehension into the instructional practices of 19 vocational-technical instructors. One of the study objectives was to document the impact of this approach on young adult students. According to the MARSI questionnaire, students (n = 91) reported using reading strategies more frequently (p < 0.001, medium effect). Analysis of five semi-structured group interviews with 36 students indicated an enhancement in content comprehension and the implementation of efficient reading strategies. The success rate for these programs increased significantly over two years of action research. It can be concluded that VT teachers can realistically incorporate this approach in their regular teaching, and its implementation has a positive impact on students.

Authors:
Chantal Ouellet, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Amal Boultif, Université d'Ottawa, Canada
France Dubé, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Chantal Ouellet is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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