The Effects of the SOAR to Success Reading Intervention Program on the Reading Comprehension and Fluency Skills of Below Level Fifth-Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of participation in the SOAR reading intervention program on below level fifth-grade students’ comprehension and fluency skills compared to students who did not participate in the intervention program. The posttest used included both implicit and explicit questions from narrative and expository passages in the Qualitative Reading Inventory-5 (QRI -5). The SOAR group’s (n = 8) mean score (Mean = 8.56, SD = 3.75) did not differ significantly from the control group’s (n=9) mean score (Mean = 9.38, SD = 3.25) [t (15) = 0.48, p = .64]. Fluency was also assessed, and results were similar in that there was no significant difference in the mean scores of the two groups: SOAR group’s mean (Mean = 85.11, SD = 24.8) and control group’s mean (Mean = 91.40, SD = 17.21) [t (15) = 0.61, p = .55]. Although the results failed to reject the null hypothesis, several other benefits to participating in a reading intervention program were observed by the researcher. Further research on the effectiveness of reading intervention programs for struggling readers in intermediate grades should be continued in order to help students develop skills that are comparable to those of peers who are stronger readers.