Parent Tutoring in Reading Using Literature and Curriculum Materials: Impact on Student Reading Achievement

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of two parent tutoring reading programs upon children's reading achievement: one that used children's literature books and one that used each child's classroom basal reading materials. Subjects were 36 student/parent pairs assigned randomly to two treatment groups and a control group. The 15-week study comprised 5 weeks of baseline, 5 weeks of treatment, and 5 weeks of follow-up. During treatment, tutoring occurred four times each week for 20 minutes per session. Treatment effects were evaluated using curriculum-based measurement. Results showed that although parents implemented the tutoring programs as designed, neither tutoring program had a significant effect upon student reading achievement. Some individual students in LB and CB groups did experience gains in reading achievement, however. Implications for future endeavors in parent tutoring in reading are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelly A. Powell-Smith

Kelly A. Powell-Smith, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Dr. Powell-Smith's research and training interests include: the use of curriculum-based measurement and problem-solving assessment in educational decision-making, parent and family involvement in education and parent tutoring, functional assessment of academic and behavior problems, and school psychology service delivery to students with severe/low incidence disabilities.

Gary Stoner

Gary Stoner, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Director of the School Psychology Program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His professional interests include interventions for achievement and behavior problems, and prevention and early intervention strategies to promote early school success for young children.

Mark R. Shinn

Mark R. Shinn is a Professor in the Department of Special Education and Community Resources at the University of Oregon. His teaching and research interests include problem-solving, needs-based service delivery systems, assessing basic skills performance using curriculum-based measurement, and the educational needs of students in urban schools, from low-income, culturally, or linguistically different backgrounds.

Roland H. Good

Roland H. Good III PhD, is an associate professor of school psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. His research interests include early literacy skills and dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills, as well as academic assessment for students with mild disabilities. He is currently a participating faculty on the Early Childhood Research Institute on Program Performance Measures: a Growth and Development Approach.