The effects of onset-rime stimuli on single-word accuracy and fluency

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using onset-rime stimuli compared to stimuli organized around vowel sound on single word recognition accuracy and fluency. Twenty-four students participated in a five week intervention using a quasi-experimental design. Students were assigned to one of two conditions: Onset-Rime and Vowel Core groups. All students were exposed to a single word pool containing real and pseudowords over the five weeks of the study. The Onset-Rime (Intervention) Group was instructed in decoding, encoding and fluent reading of the word pool organized by rime elements. The Vowel Core (Comparison) Group received equivalent instruction with the words organized around a core vowel sound per lesson. Pretest data were collected for accurate reading of real words and pseudowords included within and outside of the intervention period. All students were also tested for fluency by completing a one-minute reading of sample words from the intervention. Both groups were assessed using a posttest after five weeks. Comparisons across the two groups revealed no significant advantage for one approach over the other with the exception of greater gains for the Intervention Group for a single variable: untaught pseudowords. Trends within the data suggested that more students within the Intervention Group were making gains across most areas measured. Significant growth was made across most areas measured for the Intervention Group while the Comparison Group made significant gains for the variable of Fluency.