Development of 5 STEPs-Based Learning Management Integrated with Reading Comprehension Exercises Using the 5W1H Technique to Enhance Reading Comprehension Skills among Grade 3 Students

Abstract

             This study aimed to (1) examine the problems and needs related to learning management; (2) develop a 5 STEPs-based learning management approach integrated with reading comprehension exercises using the 5W1H technique for Grade 3 students and determine its efficiency according to the 70/70 criterion; and (3) compare students’ learning achievement before and after the intervention. This research and development (R&D) study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 examined the problems and needs related to learning management by collecting data from eight Thai language teachers from four schools and 19 Grade 3 students at Nikhom Kuchinarai Moo 2 School. Phase 2 involved developing and validating the learning management innovation. The lesson plans, reading comprehension exercises, and research instruments were evaluated by three experts for content validity, alignment, and appropriateness. The innovation was then pilot-tested with 10 Grade 3 students at Ban Sang Saen School to assess its suitability and determine its preliminary efficiency according to the 70/70 criterion. Phase 3 involved implementing and evaluating the innovation with 19 Grade 3 students at Nikhom Kuchinarai Moo 2 School, who were purposively selected. A one-group pretest–posttest design was employed. The intervention comprised eight lesson plans implemented over a total of eight hours. Data were analyzed using content analysis, the mean, standard deviation, process and outcome efficiency values (E₁/E₂), and a dependent-samples t-test.

          The findings revealed that (1) most students had difficulty distinguishing main ideas from supporting details and lacked motivation to read, whereas the teachers expressed a need for an innovation that promoted systematic thinking and could be effectively applied in classroom instruction; (2) the developed innovation comprised eight lesson plans based on the 5 STEPs process and reading comprehension exercises using the 5W1H technique. The five stages were Learning to Question, Learning to Search, Learning to Construct, Learning to Communicate, and Learning to Serve. The 5W1H framework comprised six guiding questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. The innovation achieved process and outcome efficiency values (E₁/E₂) of 73.68/76.05, exceeding the established 70/70 criterion; and (3) the students’ post-intervention reading comprehension achievement scores were significantly higher than their pre-intervention scores at the .05 level.