Sample Annotation

            Manzo and Magritte reported the results of implementation of ReQuest in a fourth grade class as a vehicle for increasing students’ comprehension of textbook social studies material.  Magritte taught a heterogeneously grouped class of inner city fourth grade students the ReQuest procedure through brief lectures and modeling.  These students then practiced this technique on their required social studies reading assignments in pairs or groups of three for 20 minutes during the school day for a period of six weeks.  Students’ scores on a unit test were then compared to their scores on previous unit tests before implementation of ReQuest.  Students’ comprehension was demonstrated to be statistically significantly increased (p< .01) after implementation of ReQuest.

            This study would seem to support our text authors’ contention that ReQuest promotes comprehension.  Several pertinent and practical issues, however, seem not to have been addressed:  Were students being provided 20 minutes per day of in-class reading time on social studies material before implementation of ReQuest?  When and how were appropriate social skills necessary for successful implementation of this technique taught to students?  In how large a class can this technique successfully be managed by a single teacher?  For students with what range of reading levels is this technique both usable and beneficial?  How should grouping be managed in a heterogeneous ability class?  Finally, would students become bored with this technique after some period of use, resulting in lowered comprehension scores (novelty effect)?