Effects of Phonological Intervention on At-Risk Kindergarten Students with Reading Difficulties

This study provides additional data supporting the argument of implementing phonological reading intervention. The study consisted of 20 kindergarten students’ ages five and six years old. Students were identified at-risk for reading difficulties by a teacher created pretest and the administration of STAR a school computer assessment tool. Using a multi-sensory approach, all students received whole and small group instruction in segmentation and blending words. In addition, students at-risk received 30 minutes of intensive instruction four days a week. Results indicated that there was positive reading growth when students were provided direct and systematic phonological instruction. The students at-risk who received an additional 120 minutes of intensive instruction per week produced a greater reading growth in both segmentation and blending compared to their typical peers