Effects of a Whole-Class Reading Program Designed for Different Reading Levels and the Learning Needs of L1 and L2 Children

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate the whole-class reading program Language And Reading Skills (LARS) and its effects on the decoding, reading comprehension, and language abilities of 1st-language (L1) and 2nd-language (L2) German 2nd graders. The program consisted of teacher training and differentiated reading materials adapted to the needs of both L1 and L2 learners. The materials targeted 4 different reading levels. For the evaluation, we used a pre-/posttest design with a comparison group. We assessed the decoding, reading comprehension, and language abilities of all students (n = 377) before and after the implementation of the program. A total of 159 students received reading instruction twice a week with the LARS program during regular school hours for a period of 7 months. Another 218 students received conventional reading instruction without special materials (e.g., no differentiated materials) provided by the research team. The results indicate that the program significantly improved the development of reading comprehension and expressive vocabulary (trained words).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Norbert Holzer, Kerstin Waldmüller, Petra Watko, Kathrin Ortner, and Mike Trauntschnig for their assistance during the whole project, especially with respect to the preparation of the reading instruction and data collection.