Early Reading Intervention Word Families as a Strategy to Improve Decoding

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether small group instruction on phonograms would positively affect the decoding skills of first graders who were identified as at-risk readers. The measurement tool was the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Next Assessment. This study involved the use of a pretest/posttest design to compare student’s winter scores on the nonsense word fluency subtest (before the intervention was administered) to their spring scores (after the intervention was complete). The study showed numerical gains in the students’ pre and post-test scores compared to the control group that did not receive the intervention. There was no statistically significant difference between the performance of students who received word family instruction versus those students who received grade-level literacy instruction. Continued research in the effectiveness of phonograms to aid decoding is needed.