Exploring Curriculum Integration: A Comparative Study of Reading and Writing Comprehension through Science Subjects at SSC Level

Developing reading and writing skills is fundamental to academic achievement. The study aimed to explore the influence of integrating the curriculum through the science subject on the comprehension of both reading and writing at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) level. A quantitative quasi-experimental design involving pretesting and post-testing with a control group was utilized in this research. Fifty students from the 9th grade at Government Girls High Schools in Peshawar (Pakistan) participated in the study, with half randomly assigned to the experimental group and half assigned to the control group. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, and ANCOVA. The experimental group had a higher mean post-test reading (M = 45.36, SD = 2.57) than the control group (M = 28.93, SD = 10.75). The results of the t-test revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.001), similar results were observed using ANCOVA to confirm that there were significant differences between teaching methods (F(1, 47) = 47.68, p < 0.001), with a large effect size; η²p = 0.499). Thus, the results of this study support the claim that the integration of the curriculum considerably increases student comprehension of both reading and writing. Consequently, it is recommended that schools and policymakers encourage teachers to use integrated methods of instruction and provide them with the proper resources and training.