The Effects of Repeated Reading on Oral Reading Fluency of Third Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repeated readings on the oral reading fluency of third grade students. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design that included a pretest and treatment, followed by a posttest. The 19 participants in this study attended an urban public school in Maryland during the 2016-2017 school year. This study hypothesized that gains in fluency, as reflected in changes in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Correct Words Per Minute (CWPM) score from the middle (MOY) to the end of the year (EOY) would not differ significantly between students who completed repeated readings over a five-week intervention period and those who did not participate in the repeated readings intervention. The results of this study confirmed that there was not a statistically significant difference between the control and treatment groups’ gains in WPM read correctly. This implied that the brief strategy of repeated reading instruction did not improve oral reading fluency of third grade students who demonstrated a wide range of reading abilities. Observations made during the intervention and students’ feelings about reading are discussed in relation to this finding and the literature review.