Excelsior Springs

This research aims to understand how knowledge retrieval relates to making inferences in reading and to test an intervention designed to improve these skills in struggling readers from grades 4 to 6. The study focuses on middle grade students from diverse and rural backgrounds who have reading difficulties. It will use statistical models to explore the effects of knowledge retrieval accuracy and speed on inferencing while considering factors like English learner status and other child attributes. Participants will be divided into groups receiving different learning approaches about Egyptian history facts. One group practices retrieving knowledge with varied questions, another with repeated questions, and a third group rereads passages without retrieval practice. After learning, students read passages and answer questions testing their recall and inferencing ability immediately, one week, and one month later to assess long-term retention and application. Throughout the study, participants will complete several reading and language tests before and after the intervention, including the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals. Surveys on metacognition and reading strategies, working memory tests, and vocabulary assessments will also be conducted. The research will evaluate changes in knowledge retrieval and inferencing skills over time to understand the intervention's impact. The total study period extends through follow-up assessments up to one month after intervention completion.