Volume 13, Issue 6 (June 2026), Pages: 245-251

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 Original Research Paper

Improving reading comprehension in eighth grade students using active learning strategies

 Author(s): 

Punsaporn Phuphanbai ¹, Autthapon Intasena ^1, *, Thussaneewan Srimunta ², Nattapon Yotha ³

 Affiliation(s):

¹Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand
²Department of Arts Program in Chinese, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham Rajabhat University, Mahasarakham, Thailand
³Department of Educational Measurement, Evaluation and Research, Faculty of Education, Phetchabun Rajabhat University, Phetchabun, Thailand

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-5805

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.06.023

 Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of a learning management plan integrating active learning strategies on Thai Grade 8 students’ reading comprehension and to confirm the construct validity of reading comprehension using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The research instruments included a learning management plan incorporating various active learning activities and a reading comprehension test administered as both a pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the E1/E2 formula, the Effectiveness Index (E.I.), and a paired-sample t-test to evaluate improvements in students’ performance. CFA was conducted to confirm the structure of reading comprehension as a multidimensional construct consisting of four components: identifying main ideas, analyzing and summarizing, interpreting and connecting information, and evaluating and critiquing information. This study was designed as a preliminary investigation using a one-group pre-test–post-test design. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension scores after the intervention, with an E.I. of 0.923, an E1/E2 score exceeding the 80/80 criterion, and a strong model fit confirmed through CFA.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Active learning, Reading comprehension, Language education, Learning management, Confirmatory factor analysis

 Article history

Received 12 February 2026, Received in revised form 25 June 2026, Accepted 28 June 2026

 Acknowledgment

This research project was financially supported by Mahasarakham University. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

All data were collected in accordance with ethical standards for human research. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study, participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity were ensured throughout the research process. 

 Citation:

Phuphanbai P, Intasena A, Srimunta T, and Yotha N (2026). Improving reading comprehension in eighth grade students using active learning strategies. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(6): 245-251

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