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A Literature Review: Graphic Organizers to Promote Reading
Comprehension in Social Studies
Eric Michael Hartley
Liberty University
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Abstract
Student reading comprehension continues to remain a major struggle facing teachers of middle-
level and secondary content areas. The use of reading comprehension strategies is most
commonly found in elementary classrooms, but the continued development of students’ reading
skills should be supported by teachers of all grade levels and content areas. In the content area of
social studies, there is a push for teachers to teach reading skills and comprehension through
history in an effort to better prepare students for comprehension of historical text. The purpose of
this paper is to explain the importance of reading instruction in the social studies classroom and
discuss the incorporation of graphic organizers into the curriculum in an effort to raise student
interest in historical content and improve reading comprehension in the content area.
Keywords: content area, reading comprehension, social studies, graphic organizers
Graphic Organizers to Promote Reading
Comprehension in Social Studies
Reading, a critical aspect of understanding history, is regarded as an interaction between
the reader and the text. Reading history requires purpose and involves active participation of the
reader who has specific goals to achieve when reading a text (Manoli & Papadopoulou, 2012).
Exceptionally low student interest, however, combined with the inability of text comprehension,
generates a struggle for history teachers to effectively convey pertinent curriculum to students.
Reading comprehension is imperative to student understanding and student understanding is
solely impacted by reading strategies teachers incorporate into lessons. Graphic organizers –
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visual representations of information in a text, help train students to comprehend the historical
text being taught, as well as increase student interest in the subject. Graphic organizers should be
adopted in all classrooms that incorporate comprehension instruction to directly represent the
text students are expected to comprehend and provide stronger evidence for the effectiveness of
the technique. A history teacher’s ability to apply more interactive, visual and stimulating
strategies into the content could change students’ attitudes towards history as well as improve
their understanding of the content.
The schools of our present age are jam-packed with students who struggle academically,
especially in reading comprehension. When we think about reading and comprehension, we often
first focus on phonetic decoding, fluency, and vocabulary. Educators, especially educators of
history, know that basic reading skills are not enough to master content. Manoli and
Papadopoulou (2012) indicate that despite early attempts of reading instruction with emphasis on
students’ abilities to decode and learn how to read, a radical shift in the reading process now
emphasizes comprehension and text learning. Learners of all grade levels and content areas,
especially the struggling ones, should be “actively involved in reading and derive meaning from
written texts using reading comprehension strategies” (p. 348). According to Ness (2007) reading
comprehension is defined as an active, problem-solving process which involves intentional
thinking during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader. In an
observation study by Ness, 2400 minutes of instructional time was observed and only three
percent of that time as actually allotted to coaching students on reading comprehension strategies
to help them better understand the text (Ness, 2007). Unfortunately, many educators still believe
that the incorporation of reading into content-area curriculum is only for English teachers. This is
a falsified belief that is detrimental to students’ reading abilities. According to a 2012 study by
the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only a little more than one third of all students
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in eighth grade are considered proficient in reading and only eight percent of eighth graders with
disabilities exhibit proficient reading skills (Hall, Kent, McCulley, Davis, & Wanzek, 2013).
These numbers speak for themselves: Evidence that teachers of all content areas must emphasize
reading strategies to improve reading skills.
While the emphasis of content area reading is not a new concept, a reoccurring concern in
literature on the subject is that said emphasis lacks attention on the reader’s ability to engage
with the text. Students, instead, are taught to read, gather information, and then process what
they read. Gathering and processing, however, (especially when used for purposes of rote
memorization) does not allow full potential of text comprehension; therefore, use of image
analysis reading strategies are paramount in teaching students to fully engage and comprehend
what is being read. The benefit of image analysis strategies, specifically the use of graphic
organizers, in social studies classes is two-fold; the strategies heighten student interest in the
historical content, and provide a basis for improved reading comprehension. Proficient reading
skills are critical in social studies classrooms, but the density and complexity of historical text
make it difficult for students to synthesize information and read for understanding. Teachers of
history frequently ask students to comprehend textbooks, primary source documents, and
historical articles in an effort to acquire sound content knowledge. Couple this with the demands
of new state academic standards for literacy and comprehension of complex text in the social
studies content, the use of visual strategies which help make abstract information concrete, is
essential (Hall et al., 2013).
There is a plethora of scholarly literature in regards to reading comprehension instruction
in social studies classrooms which is, fortuitously, available for teacher utilization. The emphasis
within a majority of the literature involves the use of graphic organizers with evidence that
students taught comprehension strategies improve their reading comprehension scores.
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Unfortunately, the degree to which middle and secondary level teachers use graphic organizers as
comprehension strategies and teach reading comprehension skills is unclear (Ness, 2007).
Research by Cuillo, Falcomata, and Vaughn (2015) studies learning in the social studies
curriculum across two specific conditions: a text-based summarization baseline and a treatment
that used graphic organizers and explicit instruction. Results provided clear evidence to suggest
that treatment components such as graphic organizers as reading comprehension strategies are
highly effective for students when reading historical based content (p. 15). Similarly, research by
D and Rajan (2013) studied the differences between students who are exposed to use of graphic
organizers and the students who are not. The research concluded that graphic organizers are
effective for improvement of reading comprehension in all five essential reading questions like
(1) identifying the main idea, (2) finding supporting details, (3) dealing with vocabulary, (4) fact
and opinion, and (5) making inferences (p. 155). Additionally, while not directly stated but
implied in a majority of the literature, there is a pedagogical implication in the use of graphic
organizers during reading comprehension that indirectly motivates students to create their own
graphic organizer for the passages they read and comprehend. This further increases student
understanding and improves student creativity.
Reading Challenges in the Social Studies Classroom
Much of the literature on reading in the social studies content area indicate similar
findings. As Ness (2007) indicates, the calling on teachers to provide explicit reading instruction
into social studies classrooms is a message that is not always reflected in instructional practice.
The limited use of reading comprehension strategies in middle and secondary level content area
classroom is quite limited with an average of only three percent of instructional time used to
assist students in used effective comprehension strategies (p. 6). Combine the limited use of
reading instruction with the reading deficits of students as they leave the elementary level and
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the challenges are imminent. Reading deficits are not remediated in upper elementary school and
students are left at a significant disadvantage in middle level and secondary schools as their
content-area teachers do not teach reading strategies leaving students faced with the new
standards of curriculum learning demands of middle and high school (Ciullo, Falcomata, and
Vaughn, 2015).
In a perfect world, all readers would use both metacognitive and cognitive strategies to
facilitate comprehension of text. Unfortunately, limited are the self-monitoring and self-
regulating behaviors of metacognitive strategies that allow a reader the self-awareness of
whether or not he comprehends a text. It is necessary, therefore, that teachers employ cognitive
strategies of mental and behavior activities to increase the likelihood of student comprehension
(Styslinger, Ware, Bell, & Barrett, 2014). Different from the findings of Ness (2007), whose
research indicates evidence that history teachers simply lack the willingness to implement
instructional practices to improve reading comprehension; the research of Styslinger, Ware, Bell,
and Barrett (2014) indicates that it is not an unwillingness of teachers to incorporate proper
reading strategies, rather it is a lack of knowledge of how to effectively incorporate said
strategies. Agreeing literature suggest that social studies teachers are often unprepared to teach
the reading strategies students’ need to learn in order to be successful (Ciullo et all, 2015).
A third challenge, according to Hall et all (2013), toward reading comprehension in the
social studies content area is the increasing number of students with learning disabilities (LD)
who enter middle and high school grades each year (p. 48). Most students with learning
disabilities have a difficult time understanding and remembering the information within their
social studies textbook as they “lack the reading skills necessary to comprehend complex
expository text” (Hall et all., 2013). D and Rajan (2013) further explain that many students are
assumed by teachers to comprehend text because the student has the ability to quickly recognize
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and properly pronounce the words being read; however, they struggle to under the central theme
of what is being read (p. 155). Much of the literature on social studies content-area reading
suggest that teachers maintain a focus on content goals while interweaving comprehension-
oriented strategies into their instruction – primarily visual image strategies such as graphic
organizers that allow students to make necessary connections needed to comprehend historical
text. Using Graphic Organizers in Social Studies
According to Ciascai (2009) graphic organizers are representations, pictures or models
used for processing visual information (p. 9). Graphic organizers are used by teachers to
facilitate student understanding of knowledge by clarifying knowledge and reasoning,
strengthening the learning process, integrating the new knowledge in the prior knowledge
system, and identify conceptual errors and misconceptions. Ciascai (2009) further explains:
Filling in a graphic organizer is a complex process which requires taking the decision on
which graphic organizer is the most suitable for give type of knowledge and cognitive
processes. This decision involves the selection of the necessary knowledge and also the
evaluation of the approach and of the intermediary and final results. This type of work
with knowledge contributes to the increase of learning comprehension and critical
thinking in education (p. 9).
In comparison, most of the literature reviewed refers to graphic organizers in variety of ways
such as visual displays, graphic displays/representations, graphics, tree diagrams, structured
overviews, network representations, adjunct displays/aids, to name a few. Regardless of how
they are referred, the literature agrees upon the fact that the use of advance graphic organizers by
teachers of history greatly enhances students’ learning and retention of unfamiliar but meaningful
materials (Manoli et all., 2012). In essence, the goal of graphic organizers is to allow students the
opportunities to work with recurring patterns that are easily recognized and readily used, serving
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the same function as a visual aid that defines hierarchical relationships among concepts (D et all,.
2013). Much of the data presented consistently recommended graphic organizers as tools in
which history teachers should use to help students read for meaning and understand relationships
between concepts across the subject areas. Additionally, Hall et all (2013) explains that graphic
organizers enhance the reading comprehension of students by helping them to organize the
verbal information and thereby improving their recall of that information. Furthermore, the
research shows that graphic organizers are remarkably effective in helping students to
comprehend and learn from social studies textbooks in particular (p. 48). Since social studies
texts introduce historical concepts and relations: they compare and contrast, describe causes and
effects, and allude to trends and themes from different places across time. Connections must be
made to multiple events described in the text. The use of graphic organizers can provide learners
with a meaningful framework for relating prior knowledge to new information and enable them
to make connections among new concepts. The deployment of graphic organizers can come
before, during, or after the reading of text and according to Manoli et all (2012) and literature
alike, teachers should implement this strategy in classrooms in order to effectively train students
to become independent and self-regulated learners (p. 354).
Graphic organizers, in any form, used as a strategy to promote reading comprehension
will successfully enable students to better understand the rigorous content of today’s social
studies standards. Teachers of all content areas must make the teaching of reading skills a
priority in their daily teaching. Conclusion
The stakes are high for today’s middle level and secondary students as they are expected
to read a variety of texts with complex vocabulary and then break down the material based on
prior knowledge and comprehension of current readings. It is the responsibility of our schools
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and teachers to prepare our students for these literacy and academic demands. Opportunities for
teachers to rise to the challenge and expand their own knowledge are limitless with vast amounts
of professional development journals, books and classes that teach teachers what the
implementation of effective reading strategies into their content area should look like. Teachers
of the social studies content have a pivotal responsibility to learn these strategies and incorporate
them into their daily lessons as we all know too well that if we do not, history will once again,
repeat itself.
References
Ciascai, L. (2009, December 20). Using Graphic Organizers in Intercultural Education. Acta
Didactica Napocensia, 2, 1st ser., 9-19. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from
http://eric.ed.gov/?q=Teaching Reading in the content areas using graphic
organizer&pr=on&ft=on&id=EJ1052273
Ciullo, S., Falcomata, T., & Vaughn, S. (2015). Teaching social studies to upper elementary
students with learning disabilities: Graphic organizers and explicit instruction. Learning
Disability Quarterly, 38(1), 15-26. doi:10.1177/0731948713516767
D, P. S., & Rajan, P. (2013). Using Graphic Organizers to Improve Reading
Comprehension Skills for the Middle School ESL Students. English Language
Teaching, 6(2). doi:10.5539/elt.v6n2p155
Hall, C., Kent, S., McCulley, L., Davis, A., & Wanzek, J. (2013). A new look at graphic
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organizers in the secondary social studies classroom. Teaching Exceptional Children. Vol.
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Hearn, B. J. (2007). Cognitive Domain: Content Area Reading Strategies. From Principles of
Learning to Strategies for Instruction with Workbook Companion, 243-262.
doi:10.1007/978-0-387-71086-0_8
Manoli, P. & Papadopoulou, M. (2012). Graphic Organizers as a Reading Strategy: Research
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Ness, M. (2007). Increasing the inclusion of reading comprehension strategies in secondary
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Record, M. (2015). Implications of Graphic Organizers in an Age of Social Media. New
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Sencibaugh, J. M. (2008). A synthesis of content enhancement strategies teaching students
reading difficulties at middle and secondary level. Reading Imp., 45(2), 84.
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