ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Story Mapping Strategy in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of Grade 6 learners in English. The findings of the study served as the basis for the proposed Reading Intervention Plan. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design to determine the effectiveness of the Story Mapping Strategy in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of Grade 6 learners in English. The researcher utilized a pre-test and post-test approach. The pre-test assessed learners’ baseline reading comprehension skills, while the post-test measured improvements after the intervention. This design allowed the researcher to compare learners’ performance before and after the implementation of the Story Mapping Strategy and examine its effect on learners’ comprehension, retention, and ability to analyze key story elements. The participants consisted of Grade 6 learners, and universal sampling was used to ensure that the participants had comparable reading levels prior to the intervention. The study also employed quantitative data collection methods, primarily through standardized reading comprehension tests, observation checklists, and learner work outputs. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, such as mean scores and paired-sample t-tests, to determine the statistical significance of any differences in performance. This approach ensured a systematic evaluation of the Story Mapping Strategy, providing evidence of its effectiveness as a tool for enhancing reading comprehension skills in English.
The test of difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of learners illustrates the comparison of reading comprehension skills before and after the implementation of the Story Mapping Strategy. The analysis highlights whether the instructional intervention had a statistically significant effect on improving learners’ comprehension skills. The results show a clear improvement in learners’ reading comprehension following the integration of the Story Mapping Strategy. The analysis led to the rejection of the null hypothesis, indicating a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. This demonstrates that the instructional strategy effectively enhanced learners’ ability to understand text, identify key story elements, and analyze information. The improvement reflects that most learners responded positively to the Story Mapping Strategy, progressing from lower readiness levels in the pre-test to higher performance categories in the post-test. The intervention not only addressed the gaps identified during the pre-test but also facilitated greater engagement and comprehension among the learners. This highlights the effectiveness of structured instructional strategies in producing measurable gains in academic performance. The overall improvement in reading comprehension implies that the Story Mapping Strategy had a significant positive impact on learners’ skills. The result implies that targeted instructional interventions, when aligned with learners’ initial performance levels, can substantially enhance comprehension, retention, and analytical abilities, reinforcing the importance of evidence-based teaching strategies in promoting effective learning outcomes.
Keywords: Story Mapping Strategy, Reading Comprehension Skills, Grade 6 English
INTRODUCTION
Reading comprehension is a critical skill that serves as the foundation for learning across all subjects, particularly in Key Stage 2, where learners transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Among the many instructional strategies aimed at improving comprehension, the Story Mapping Strategy has emerged as a creative and effective approach. Story mapping is a visual technique that organizes the main elements of a story—such as characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution—into a clear, structured format. This method allows learners to actively engage with texts, identify key ideas, and understand relationships between story elements. As a learner myself, I have personally experienced the benefits of visual aids and structured strategies in reading, where breaking down complex stories into manageable components significantly enhanced my understanding and retention. Story mapping can transform reading from a passive activity into an interactive process, making lessons more engaging and fostering a deeper comprehension of the text. Beyond improving understanding, story mapping also encourages learners to think critically, make predictions, and connect personal experiences to story content, thereby enhancing their overall reading proficiency.
Kim and Anderson (2017) found that students who used story maps showed significant improvement in identifying main ideas, sequence of events, and character motivations compared to students who received traditional instruction.
Exploring the effectiveness of story mapping aligns with my belief in learner-centered and interactive teaching approaches. Reading comprehension is influenced by various factors, including background knowledge, vocabulary, and engagement with the text. As a teacher, I have observed that students often struggle to retain information from stories when instruction is purely lecture-based or text-heavy. Utilizing story mapping provides a structured yet creative method to scaffold learning and encourages students to participate actively in the reading process. Beyond story mapping, other strategies such as reciprocal teaching, think-alouds, and summarization techniques have also proven effective in improving comprehension, but story mapping combines visual, cognitive, and interactive elements in a way that uniquely suits the developmental needs of Key Stage 2 learners. Investigating its effectiveness can provide teachers with practical, evidence-based tools to enhance literacy instruction and improve students’ reading outcomes.
While preparing this study, several challenges were identified. Firstly, there is a limited availability of literature specifically focusing on the use of story mapping for Key Stage 2 learners, making it necessary to rely on broader research or studies from other grade levels. Secondly, measuring reading comprehension is inherently complex, as it involves not only recalling information but also analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating text. Ensuring that assessment tools comprehensively capture all these skills is challenging. Additionally, practical issues such as time constraints, limited learner participation, and access to appropriate materials for story mapping activities were also considered. Overcoming these obstacles requires careful planning, creative adaptation of instructional materials, and structured assessment approaches to ensure valid and reliable results.
The decision to pursue this study stems from the recognition that reading comprehension is foundational to learners’ academic success and lifelong learning. Investigating the effectiveness of the Story Mapping Strategy is crucial not only for validating its utility but also for providing Key Stage 2 teachers with a practical, evidence-based approach to enhance students’ reading skills. By exploring this strategy, the study aims to contribute to both theory and practice, offering insights into effective literacy instruction while empowering educators to implement methods that actively engage learners and improve their comprehension outcomes.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Story Mapping Strategy in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of Grade 6 learners in English. The findings of the study served as the basis for the proposed Reading Intervention Plan.
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