The Rainbow Reading Programme: A Review 20 years on.

Abstract

It has been 20 years since the Rainbow Reading programme was developed and trialled by its New Zealand creator, Meryl-Lynn Pluck. Rainbow Reading is an audio-facilitated reading programme, and is based on the method of assisted repeated reading. The programme is designed to provide older students reading below their chronological age with the opportunity to practise their fluency and comprehension at their instructional reading level. This article sets out to review the programme, drawing on the research evidence to evaluate Rainbow Reading’s validity and reliability as a reading intervention for use by educational practitioners in the New Zealand education context. Possible strengths and limitations of the programme are identified, and future directions for the programme are put forward. While the article concludes by suggesting some caution with regard to its use, it is evident that the effectiveness of an intervention such as Rainbow Reading is underpinned by practitioners taking an evidence-based approach in their professional practice.