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

Fluency is More than Just Fast, Accurate Reading: The Importance of Expressiveness

When we measure fluency for the PALS or the DRA, we usually focus on how many words our students read correctly in a minute. Speed and accuracy are certainly important components of fluent reading, but we all know that there is more to fluency than the ability to decode accurately and quickly!

The other component of fluency that we assess with PALS and DRA is expressiveness, sometimes called prosody. I have heard some teachers describe this to students as “reading with movie star voices” or “reading that sounds like talking.” And, although rating expressiveness is sometimes difficult (because it can seem fairly subjective), a recent study shows that expressive reading plays an important role in the development of fluency AND in the development of reading comprehension.

Justin Miller and Paula Schwanenflugel have been studying fluency for several years, because they believe that fluency is, indeed, more than just speedy, accurate decoding.  Their most recent study looked at the development of expressiveness from first to third grades. They found that expressiveness is important for reading development, even when they controlled for accurate decoding. When they looked at expressiveness, they considered (1) pausal intrusions (or inappropriate pauses in children’s oral reading) and (2) intonation (or the use of adult-like intonation patterns). They found that

Better intonation in grades 1 and 2 predicted better reading fluency in grade 3. And, better intonation in grade 3 was related to better reading comprehension. Thus, teaching children to read with their movie star voices is important!

Pausal intrusions in grades 1 and 2 were linked to decoding issues. Therefore, if you observe pauses in your students’ oral reading, those students may need more work on specific aspects of decoding.

Not only was intonation related to reading comprehension, but decreases in pausing from grades 1 to 2 led to better reading comprehension in grade 3.

These findings are important because they show us that there is value in working with our students on expressive, prosodic reading. Intonation and appropriate pausing are related to the development of fluency and reading comprehension in positive ways, beyond fast, accurate word recognition. So, spend a bit of time on your students’ movie star voices!

Miller, J., & Schwanenflugel, P. J. (2008). A longitudinal study of the development of reading prosody as a dimension of oral reading fluency in early elementary school children. Reading Research Quarterly, 43, 336-354.

 



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