Effects of Repeated Readings on the Oral Reading Fluency of Urban Fourth-Grade Students: Implications for Practice

Abstract

Oral reading fluency, which includes the effortless and smooth oral production of text, is an essential part of deriving meaning from text. Fluency is a particularly important skill in upper elementary school grades when students are exposed to higher level reading materials. The authors evaluated the effects of a repeated readings intervention with urban 4th-grade students who showed at-risk markers for reading failure. The authors trained the classroom teacher to implement repeated readings classwide and collected treatment fidelity data on the extent to which the teacher adhered to the procedures. Results indicated that peer-mediated repeated reading improved students' oral reading rate across baseline levels; however, by the end of the study, the students did not reach benchmark goals in reading. Integrity data suggested that the teacher was able to implement the intervention with a high degree of fidelity classwide. The authors discuss important implications for practice and directions for future research.

Keywords:

• reading fluency
• repeated readings
• treatment integrity