This study investigated whether metacognitive skills training would have any effect on the comprehension of southeastern, urban students in a high school compensatory reading laboratory. The pre-experimental one-group design was used for subjects in an eighth and a ninth grade class. Instruments used in data collection for pretest/posttest analysis were the Metacomprehension Strategy Index and the Plasment Reading Achievement Lab Test. The t test for dependent samples was used to analyze the data and test two of the null hypotheses. A third instrument was a checklist which was field-tested by reading specialists and students of similar demographic characteristics as the subjects. A percentage score was used to analyze the subjects' perception of their training. The treatment intervention consisted of reciprocal teaching of the following multiple comprehension monitoring strategies for ten weeks: previewing/purpose setting, visual imaging, self-questioning, summary sentences, predicting/verifying, fix-up techniques. The following significant findings of the study were these: 1. There was a significant difference between eighth and ninth graders' pretest and posttest scores in metacognitive awareness after instructional intervention as measured by the MSI. 2. There was a significant difference between pretest and posttest reading comprehension scores of eighth grade students after ten weeks of training in comprehension monitoring. 3. There was a positive change of 3/10 gain by ninth grade students in reading comprehension though not statistically significant. Only 1/10 gain was expected by the district after on~ month of instruction. 4. Positive percentage scores of 100 by both the eighth and ninth grade\ students indicated that they perceived comprehensioning monitoring as effective in improving their reading skills. The major conclusions that resulted from the findings were as follows: 1. Metacognitive skills training was effective in developing metacognitive awareness of eighth and ninth grade students. 2. Metacognitive skills training using the reciprocal teaching approach in teaching reading comprehension monitoring strategies was effective. 3. Based on the students' response, they perceived the self-monitoring strategies as useful in approaching reading tasks.

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in gains in reading ability for two seventh-grade groups taught by two different methods of instruction in language arts. The two methods were: 1) instruction with a reading-improvement program utilizing the SRA Reading Laboratory, and 2) regular instruction in language arts.