Stop to Ask and Respond: Effects of a Small-Group Self-Questioning Intervention on Reading Comprehension Performance

Self-questioning, a strategic approach for monitoring one's own comprehension, has shown promising outcomes for a diverse range of learners. The current study sought to replicate and extend this area of research by examining the effects of a small-group self-questioning intervention with systematic prompt fading on students' reading comprehension performance. Two small groups of fifth grade students performing among the lowest on reading comprehension in their general education classroom were selected to participate in this study. Three participants in each group were taught to stop to ask and respond to questions (STAR strategy) while chorally reading expository text passages. A multiple probe design across the small groups was used to examine the effects of this self-questioning strategy on the reading comprehension performance when prompts were systematically faded. Results indicated the groups, on average, demonstrated an increase in the number of comprehension questions answered correctly. Implications for practice are discussed.