THE EFFECT OF GRAPHIC ORGANISERS ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH: EVIDENCE FROM A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN GHANA

Authors

  • Aikins Addae Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v11i3.6803

Keywords:

graphic organisers, reading comprehension, English language, quasi-experimental design, effect size, Basic Seven students

Abstract

This study examined the effect of graphic organisers on students’ reading comprehension in English using a quasi-experimental design. The study was guided by Dual Coding Theory (Paivio, 1986), which explains that learning improves when verbal and visual information are processed together. The study involved an experimental group and a control group of Basic Seven students. Both groups were pre-tested and post-tested after the intervention. The experimental group was taught using graphic organisers, while the control group was taught using conventional teaching methods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and Cohen’s d effect size. Findings showed no significant difference at pre-test, confirming baseline equivalence. However, post-test results revealed that the experimental group performed significantly better (M = 71.5, SD = 6.9) than the control group (M = 49.6, SD = 7.8), t (28) = 8.12, p < .001. A very large effect size (d = 2.97) was recorded. The study concludes that graphic organisers significantly improve reading comprehension by enhancing cognitive organisation and meaning construction.

Author Biography

  • Aikins Addae, Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

    Aikins Addae is a Lecturer in English Language at the Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, an M.Phil. in English, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Education, Winneba. He has completed his doctoral studies in English at the Department of English Education, University of Education, Winneba, and is awaiting graduation. His research interests include (Critical) Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics, Corpus Linguistics, Literacy Studies, English Language Pedagogy, Academic Discourse, and English Semantics. He has presented papers at academic conferences and published research in the areas of language, discourse, and education. His research works and scholarly publications can be accessed through his Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7n7Z-tQAAAAJ&hl=en.

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Published

2026-06-17

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

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