The effects of a paired reading intervention on the reading fluency of second graders

Includes bibliographical references (pages 136-153)This dissertation examined the effects of a paired reading intervention on the reading fluency of second graders that was measured by independent reading levels, prosody, and rate. A suburban midwestern school was the site for the study. Students in three English classrooms were randomly divided into the intervention group (n = 32) and the control group (n = 17). Student demographics for the intervention group were Hispanic (63.0 %) and low-income (58.6 %). Student demographics for the control group were Hispanic (65.0%) and low-income (41.0%). The reading partners in the intervention group consisted of oral readers who scored below the midpoint on the pretest measures and silent readers who scored above the midpoint on the pretest measures. Each week, the intervention group received 10 minutes of instruction on modeled oral reading and comprehension questions by a teacher, followed by three 15-minute practice sessions with their partners. During the practice sessions, each oral reader read aloud at his or her independent level as the silent reader partner followed along and asked the oral reader scripted comprehension questions. Silent readers received a book to read each week at home. The control group received the standard curriculum. A Mann-Whitney test assessed growth differences in fluency. Oral and silent readers in the intervention showed significant growth in their independent reading level compared to the low and high readers in the control group, even though the silent readers in the intervention group read along at the oral readers’ reading levels. Oral readers also showed significant growth in their prosody compared to the low readers in the control group, but silent readers in the intervention group had no significant growth in their prosody compared to the high readers in the control group. Growth in reading rate for the intervention group was not significant compared to the control group. The study concluded that the paired reading intervention in fluency significantly raised independent reading levels for both the oral and silent readers and prosody scores for the oral readers compared to the control group and provided an effective, inexpensive reading practice opportunity within classrooms.Ed.D. (Doctor of Education