The Effect of Web 2.0 Applications on Students' Reading Comprehension and Main Idea Teaching

Students' ability to comprehend the texts they read and identify the main idea of the text plays an important role in their cognitive development process. In today's educational approach, the influence of technology is increasing, and Web 2.0 tools are among the elements that support students' comprehension and main idea identification skills in this process. In this study, the effect of Web 2.0 tools on the comprehension and main idea identification skills of 5th grade middle school students was examined within the framework of an experimental research model. In the study, a pre-test-post-test control group design was used to examine the effect of the independent variable on a total of 52 students (26 experimental, 26 control) attending a middle school in the central district of Kütahya. During the research process, specific texts from a Turkish language textbook approved by the Council of Education in 2020 were used as a basis. During the six-week application process, students in the experimental group participated in activities supported by various Web 2.0 tools, while students in the control group received education using methods specified in the curriculum. The ‘Reading Comprehension and Main Idea Identification Scale’ developed by Pilten (2007) was used as the data collection tool. The results of the study revealed that Web 2.0 applications had a positive effect on students' reading comprehension and main idea identification skills.