Comparison of the Efficiency of Two Flashcard Drill Methods on Children's Reading Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend prior flashcard drill and practice research by holding instructional time constant and allowing learning trials to vary. Specifically, the authors aimed to determine whether an incremental rehearsal method or a traditional drill and practice method was most efficient in helping 5 first-grade children read, maintain, and generalize words when time allocated for each instructional method was controlled. Findings revealed that all 5 participants learned more words per session with the traditional drill and practice method. However, a higher percentage of words that were taught under the incremental rehearsal condition were generalized when they were presented in the context of sentences. These findings have implications for school psychologists and educators who play a role in deciding what academic interventions will be used to maximize student learning in the classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• instructional efficiency
• word recognition
• incremental rehearsal
• traditional drill and practice