Using Directed Reading Guides in the Introductory Courses to Motivate Student Preparation and Comprehension

• In Event: Reception with Effective Learning Strategies Display

Abstract

The introductory financial and managerial accounting courses consist of a unique body of students: primarily freshman and sophomores who are relatively new to the rigors of higher education, and who may have skated by in high school with little to no required textbook reading. In addition, the vast majority of students in these classes are not accounting majors, thus, their initial motivation in learning the material in the textbook may be relatively low. In order to motivate this body of students to read the assigned textbook pages, identify the important information, take good notes, and interact with the text as they read it, I have created “directed reading guides” that follow the course textbook chapter-by-chapter, and paragraph-by-paragraph. These “guides” ask students to respond to questions, fill in blanks, and summarize the main concepts as they read through the material, thus eliciting student interaction with the assigned reading before coming to class. Because these guides follow the text in the precise order in which the material is presented, students must read through the chapter in a linear fashion, as intended by the authors, rather than “hunting and pecking” for isolated concepts and examples needed to complete homework problems.

I make these guides optional for my students, but student feedback shows that 85% of my students choose to use them, rather than take their own “free form” notes on the assigned reading. The high rate of voluntary adoption indicates that students find value in using these guides. In this ELS session, I will provide examples of the directed reading guides, as well as present student feedback indicating why students find them helpful. In addition, I will present a number of ways they could be used by accounting educators to aid in (and/or assess) student preparation and comprehension. By ensuring that students have a baseline comprehension of the material before arriving at class, a greater portion of class time can be devoted to interactive learning activities, such as small group discussions, cases, and projects.

Author

• Karen W Braun, Case Western Reserve University