Research Corner
So much research, so little time…
Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D.

Research Corner
 So much research, so little time…
 Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D.

Newport News Reading Council, Quill – March 2011

Improving Reading Rate Results in Surprising Findings for Younger and Older Struggling Readers
O’Connor, R. E., Swanson, H. L., & Geraghty, C. (2010). Improvement in reading rate under independent and difficult text levels: Influences on word and comprehension skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 1-19.

These researchers provided an intervention for struggling 2nd and 4th grade readers to determine the effect of improvements in reading rate on other reading skills, such as decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension.  The students read many different texts aloud to adult tutors over a 20-week period.  (Usually, fluency interventions involve reading the same text repeatedly. Thus, this study was important because students read many different texts.)  There were three groups in the study at each of the two grade levels:
(1)    Some students read texts at their reading level (92-100% accuracy)
(2)    Other students read difficult texts (80-90% accuracy)
(3)    A third group received their regular reading instruction. 

Adult tutors assisted the children in the two read-aloud conditions as the students read texts orally.  The findings were surprising!

•    Students in both read-aloud conditions showed improved reading rate over the 20-week period, whereas students who received regular instruction showed little improvement.  Thus, direct interventions to promote reading rate produce significant results for struggling elementary students.

•    The gains in reading rate were equally strong for both 2nd and 4th grade readers.  The researchers had expected that the younger students would show greater improvements.  However, the findings indicate that even 4th grade students can really benefit from opportunities to practice reading aloud to supportive adults!

•    Students showed more improvement in the second half of the 20-week period (between weeks 10 and 20) than they did in the first 10 weeks of the intervention. This is especially important because many interventions are conducted for a typical marking period.  If we don’t see growth during that marking period, we may discontinue the intervention and try something new.  These findings indicate that reading rate interventions may have the best effect after 10 initial weeks of little growth. Thus, persistence and patience pay when we are seeking to intervene with struggling readers.

•    Students who showed improved reading rate did not show improvements in decoding or word identification, as the researchers had predicted.  Thus, if we wish to improve our students’ word recognition skills, interventions that target reading rate are not the best choice.

•    Students in all three groups showed improvements in vocabulary. This finding showed that students’ regular instruction probably impacted vocabulary growth, but the reading rate interventions did not.

•    Finally, students who showed improved reading rate also showed improved reading comprehension.  Thus, providing additional support for students’ oral reading rate may help promote their understanding of text.

These findings are consistent with the notion that fluent reading provides a bridge between decoding and comprehension (Pikulski & Chard, 2005); and, improvements in rate positively affect comprehension for most of our students. However, we should keep in mind that for some students the “bridge” is out – and fluency does not positively impact comprehension.  For about 20-30% of our struggling readers, children we often call word callers, fluent reading seems independent of comprehension; these children may benefit from other types of interventions targeted for their particular instructional needs, rather than reading rate interventions (Applegate, Applegate, & Modla, 2009; Cartwright, 2010). 

Applegate, M. D., Applegate, A. J., & Modla, V. B. (2009). “She’s my best reader, she just can’t comprehend”: Studying the relationship between fluency and comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 62 (6), 512-521.

Cartwright, K. B. (2010). Word callers: Small-group and one-to-one interventions for children who “read” but don’t understand. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pikulski, J. J., & Chard, D. J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58 (6), 510-519.

 



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