The Relationship between Reading Comprehension and Learning and Study Strategies of Prospective Elementary School Teachers

The aim of this study was to determine whether the level of use of pragmatic and analytical reading strategies significantly differs among prospective elementary school teachers in terms of ten sub-dimensions of learning and study strategies. The sub-dimensions used were attitude, motivation, time management, anxiety, concentration, information processing, selection of the main ideas, study aids, self-testing and test-taking strategies. The participants in the study were 159 prospective elementary school teachers from the Department of Elementary Education at Adnan Menderes University in Turkey. A correlational research design was used. The data were collected through "Metacognitive Reading Strategies Questionnaire" and "The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory". The arithmetic mean and standard deviation analysis were calculated in terms of analytical reading strategies ((x) over bar =46.46, SD=15.68) and pragmatic reading strategies ((x) over bar =18.03, SD = 6.23). In the process of determining the relationship between reading comprehension strategies and learning and study strategies, the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated. For the interpretation of the data, p=.05 was accepted as a significant level in t-test analysis; in correlation analyses the results were commented as p=.05 ve .01 at statistically significant level. As a result, it was found that the prospective elementary school teachers used both analytical and pragmatic strategies (analytic. (x) over bar =3.854; pragmatic, (x) over bar =3.6530, at often used level) at the upper intermediate level. Positive and significant relationships were found between some sub-dimensions of Pragmatic strategy for reading and Study and learning strategies. As teacher candidates level of using analytical reading strategies increases, their level of using reading comprehension strategies increase too. Attitude explains approximately two-thirds of the variables of analytical reading strategies (67.8%) and attitude and work aids explain approximately half of the pragmatic strategies of reading (49.7%). In this context, the most important thing that effected learning and study strategies is reading strategies' attitude and study aids.