The Effectiveness of a Training Program Based on Active Learning Strategies and its Relationship to Reading Comprehension in both Critical and Creative Levels

Abstract

This study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of a training program based on active learning strategies and its relationship to comprehension reading on critical and creative levels among first intermediate students, and to determine whether the effectiveness of the program vary according to gender and the interaction between the way of teaching and gender. To achieve the objectives of the study a test was prepared to measure students' ability to reading comprehension on critical and creative levels, its validity and reliability were verified. a training program based on active learning strategies was prepared, it included cooperative learning and brainstorming strategies, its validity and reliability were also verified. The training program has been introduced during (25) training sessions in addition to a preliminary and other closing sessions each of which lasts 45 minutes. The study sample consisted of 120 students from the first-grade intermediate students in the city of Al-Kharj, aged (14-15 years), a school for males and another for females were chosen randomly. Two sections were selected randomly from each school , then one of the two sections was chosen in each school randomly to be the experimental group and the other control. Each group consisted of 20 students. The results of the analysis revealed that mean of the students of the experimental group in reading comprehension the critical level is higher than the arithmetic mean for the students of the control group at the same level and that the arithmetic mean of the students of the experimental group in reading comprehension at creative level is higher than arithmetic mean for students of the control group at the same level. The results of multiple two-way analysis of variance showed that the average scores of male students at the experimental group in reading comprehension at the critical and creative levels is higher than the control group at the same level. and it is clear from the results of contrast multi-bilateral analysis the lack of statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α ≤ 0.05) attributed to gender variable and the interaction between the way of teaching and gender, not in the level of reading comprehension at critical level, nor in reading comprehension at the creative level. The researcher recommends further studies and research aims to design programs based on international educational programs; for the development of reading comprehension skills at critical and creative levels, and the use of this program in the development of the skills of reading comprehension at critical and creative levels.
Keywords: Training Program, Active Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension