The Effects of Repeated Reading Interventions on the Oral Reading Fluency of Middle School Students With Reading Difficulties and Disabilities

Abstract

Fluency is a multidimensional construct that requires automaticity with foundational skills. Fluency is not an end in itself but serves as a bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. However, many secondary students struggle with proficient reading and fail to attain the most functional levels of literacy, even after receiving intensive reading interventions. The current study investigated the effects of repeated reading interventions on the oral reading fluency of adolescents at risk for and with reading disabilities. Sixty-eight students in Grades 6 through 8 (35 female, 33 male) were taught by 11 teachers and participated in either Repeated Reading Plus or Silent Repeated Reading. Hierarchical residual change regressions were conducted to evaluate the main effect and interaction effects of Repeated Reading Plus and Silent Repeated Reading on oral reading fluency (words correct per minute). Grade level and special education status were included as covariates. Multilevel analyses were used to account for between-teacher variability. Results indicate repeated reading interventions that include previewing multisyllabic words, fluent modeling of connected text, repeated partner reading, and answering comprehension questions may support the oral reading fluency of middle school students with reading difficulties and disabilities.