A Quantitative Evaluation of a Culturally Relevant Reading Intervention Program on Academic Achievement and Reading Self-Perception in an Urban High School in New Jersey

The purpose of this study was to understand the possible effects that participation in a culturally relevant reading intervention program had on students’ reading growth and reading self-perception, when compared to students who did not participate in the program but demonstrated similar prior academic achievement. To assess the relationship between program participation and reading achievement, students’ scaled score growth and student growth percentile on the STAR Reading Assessment were compared and analyzed across 3 school years. In each sample, there was no evidence to suggest that the program influenced students’ scaled score or SGP. The multiple regression models revealed that gender (male), students with disabilities status, and English Learner classifications were statistically significant predictors of both scaled score and SGP for the 2018-2019 sample only. The Reader Self-Perception Scale 2 was administered at the end of the semester to students who were either recommended for or enrolled in the reading intervention program during the 2020-2021 school year. A statistically significant relationship was found between program participation and survey score when other variables were held constant using the multiple regression model, denoting a positive beta. Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that students who participated in the program had higher reading self-perception scores than those who did not. Two other variables were found to be statistically significant predictors of reading self-perception scores, including free and reduced lunch status and previous grade-level equivalent, the latter of which was significant at the ≤ .10 threshold