The Development of Learning Material to Enhance Reading Comprehension Skill for the Upper Elementary Schools in Wiang Chai District, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

          The purposes of the study were 1) to develop the learning material, 2) to test the students’ ability toward the reading for comprehension, and 3) to evaluate the students’ attitude toward their learning by using the learning material to enhance reading comprehension skills for the students in the upper elementary schools in Wiang Chai district, Chiang Rai province.  The samples of the study were the students in Pratomsuksa 4-6 (Grade 4-6) from 6 schools in Wiang Chai district, Chiang Rai province. The samples were chosen by the purposive sampling method. There were 5 students for each grade from 6 schools, 90 students in total. The research instruments were 1) the learning material to enhance reading comprehension skills for the students in the upper elementary schools in Wiang Chai district, Chiang Rai province, 2) the 20 questions achievement test of reading comprehension in three-option multiple-choice questions, and 3) the 10 items attitude test toward learning by using the learning material to enhance reading comprehension skill in a three-face attitude rating scale (high, moderate and low scale). The researcher analyzed data by taking scores from the reading comprehension test before and after studying to find the mean and percentage, to determine the effectiveness of the exercise results (E1/E2). After that, the researcher analyzed the students’ attitude toward learning by using the learning material to enhance reading comprehension skills, by finding mean and standard deviation, and analyzing data using a statistical package program. The results found that;
         1. The effectiveness of learning material to enhance reading comprehension skills for upper elementary school students to be more effective than the set criteria (80/80). The effectiveness scales of each article were 1) 83.18/86.40 for Koh Mae Mai (Widow island), 2) 84.33/89.80 for Ma Dai Gin Kao, Kwai Dai Gin Ya (Dog got some rice and buffalo got some grass), 3) 88.10/86.89 for Rueng Lao Phi Phong (A tale of Phi Phong Ghost), 4) 83.35/87.00 for Tamnan Chang Pu Gam Nga Kieo (The male ruddy elephant with the green tusk), 5) 86.02/89.09 for Phi Pob (Phi Pob Ghost), 6) 85.13/83.59 for Kon Pak Bon (A bigmouth people), 7) 88.19/86.85 for Dao Wee Gai Noi (The Pleiades Star Cluster), 8) 82.68/84.88 for Kon Gub Kwai Noi (Human and a buffalo calf), 9) 88.33/87.32 for Ai Pood Khi Ju (The liar Pood), and 10) 86.20/88.56 for Prawatsat Baan Chan (The history of my hometown)
         2. The score of reading comprehension ability, by using the learning material to enhance reading comprehension skill for the students in upper elementary schools, had the mean before using the learning materials was 7.95, and the average after using the learning materials was at 14.46 which the score after studying is higher than the score before studying.
          3. The attitude of students towards learning using learning material to enhance reading comprehension skills overall was at a high level (x̄ = 2.84 S.D. = 0.35).