Reading fluency in second grade students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine which intervention strategies could improve second grade students’ fluency rates on the DIBELS assessment most effectively. The interventions implemented were Repeated Readings and a combination of Repeated Readings and Reader’s Theater. The measurement tool was the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). This study involved the use of a pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design to compare data from January 2010 (before the intervention was administered) to data from March 2010 (after the intervention was complete). Achievement gains were not statistically significant. However, findings of the study may have been influenced by intervening factors such as a lack of time, changes in classroom schedules, or questions of validity with the assessment. Research in the area of reading fluency should continue given the relationship between increased reading fluency and strong reading comprehension.