文體結構教學對台灣國小六年級學童英文閱讀理解及自由回憶之影響

Effects of Text Structure Instruction on Chinese EFL Six Graders' Reading Comprehension and Free Recall

Text types have long been found to affect the reading comprehension or information recall of adult or adolescent language learners. Elementary school children in both L1 and L2 environment typically were found to read more narrative texts than expository texts. It was steadfastly maintained that children prefer storybooks to informational books. Hall, Sabey, & McClellan (2005) argued that the imbalance between narrative and expository experience had led to reading difficulty of 4th graders in an L1 context. Empirical studies conducted in an L1 environment have shown that expository texts can be taught effectively as early at the Kindergarten level. On the other hand, Camp (2000) emphasized the importance of pairing fiction and nonfiction books on the same topic along with interactive class strategies can encourage children to read for comprehension and enjoyment. This study thus compares the effectiveness of two types of text structure instruction on reading comprehension of elementary school students in an L2 context. The participants are 3 intact classes of sixth grade randomly assigned to a fiction group receiving story grammar instruction, a nonfiction group receiving expository text structure instruction, or a control group receiving no special instruction. Four description expository texts pairing with their respective fiction texts on relevant topics of similar levels of difficulties were used as the teaching materials. Multiple-choice comprehension tests and written recalls were used to measure the effectiveness of text structure instruction. The results revealed that the fiction group outperformed the nonfiction group and the control group in reading fiction texts. In contrast, the nonfiction group performed significantly better than the other two groups in reading nonfiction texts.近年來許多閱讀教學的研究顯示文體類型是影響閱讀理解的主要因素之一（Alvermann & Boothby，1982；Carrell，1985；Joe，1996）。文體類型大致可分為故事性文體及知識性文體。兩者皆是兒童文學應用在讀寫能力發展的核心教材（Morrow & Gambrell，2000；Scharer，1992）。在美國以英語為母語的教學情境下，國小學生通常在四年級時才開始接觸知識性文體的教材。知識性文體的教材因著重在提供事實與資訊，在結構上重邏輯順序，內容雖短，卻含有較多學童不熟悉的單字與背景知識，因此，在此時期，學童極易產生閱讀能力明顯退步的現象。National Reading Panel（2000）及學者們開始呼籲各小學應平衡使用故事性及知識性文體之教材，且應在低年級便加入知識性文體之教材。近年來國外學者持續強調提供國小學童知識性文體教材之重要性（Hall，Sabey，&McClellan，2005；Smith，2003），並提出各種有效的教學活動，透過文體結構教學，闡述知識性文體教學之正面效應。另一方面，Camp（2000）認為國小低年級學生亦充滿學習好奇心，因此強調好的知識性文體讀本的重要性。該研究進一步以五個個案研究指出同時採用相同主題之故事性文體及知識性文體雙讀本（twin texts）之可行性與互補效用。然而，該研究只提出敘述性及觀察性的個案結果，缺乏量化研究之客觀性。鑑於先前的研究缺乏故事類文體與知識類文體閱讀策略教學之比較研究，本研究旨在比較上述兩種文體之閱讀策略教學對國小六年級學童的英語閱讀能力之效益。本研究的對象為三個班級共74位國小六年級的學童，隨機分為實驗一組、實驗二組及對照組共三組，進行為期四週的閱讀教學訓練。其中，實驗一組使用四本故事類文本進行故事類文體閱讀策略教學、實驗二組使用四本知識類文本進行知識類文體閱讀策略教學，而對照組則不接受閱讀策略教學。測驗題型包含選擇題式閱讀測驗及自由回憶兩種形式。研究成果顯示，文體結構教學可有效增進台灣國小六年級學童之英語閱讀理解能力。其中故事結構教學有助於學童閱讀故事類文體之文本，而知識類文章結構教學有助於學童閱讀知識類文體之文本。