Developing Reading Fluency with Repeated Reading

The article stresses the importance of repeated reading in helping both regular and special students worldwide improve their reading fluency, especially with the utilization of the proposed instructional guidelines.

Reading fluency contributes to the efficiency of instructional strategies in enhancing students’ reading performance level by rereading a passage. It also facilitates growth in reading fluency and other related aspects. Using the proposed components for teaching repeated reading, teachers are likely to maximize its benefits, especially in improving students’ overall reading ability (Therrien, 2004; O’Connor, White, & Swanson, 2007; Welsch, 2007).

Students have various reading levels and prerequisites, need interventions, need a strong reading skills foundation, require appropriate reading materials, need follow up instructions, need to undergo constant rereading practice, and they must be assessed to ensure that their activities match their criteria. The students’ age groups and classifications should be considered in developing programs, planning and implementing strategies, and in selecting materials to aid their reading activities. The “readers’ theatre” strategy provides students the opportunity to practice repeated reading (Keehn, 2003; Worthy & Prater, 2002). Teachers may also apply repeated reading intervention to improve students’ comprehension (Taylor, Wade, & Yekovich, 1985). Follow up activities even at home are likely to increase the efficiency of repeated reading strategy (Kelly-Vance & Schreck, 2002).

Literature provides evidence on the positive impact of repeated reading on reading fluency. Thus, teachers should be able to use, evaluate, and improve repeated reading strategies based on the guidelines presented to improve students’ reading fluency.

References

Dowhower, S. L. (1987). Effects of repeated reading on second-grade transitional readers’ fluency and comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 22, 389-406. In Welsch, R. G. (2007). Using Experimental Analysis to Determine Interventions for Reading Fluency and Recalls of Students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly 30(2), 115+.

Keehn, S. (2003). The effect of instruction and practice through readers’ theatre on young readers’ oral reading fluency. Reading Research and Instruction, 42, 40-61. In Welsch, Richard G. (2006). Increase Oral Reading Fluency. Intervention in School & Clinic 41(3). 180+.

Kelly-Vance, L., & Schreck, D. (2002). The impact of a collaborative family/school reading programme on student reading rate. Journal of Research in Reading, 25, 43-53. In Welsch, Richard G. (2006). Increase Oral Reading Fluency. Intervention in School & Clinic 41(3). 180+.

O’Connor, R. E. White, A. & Swanson, H. L. (2007). Repeated Reading versus Continuous Reading: Influences on Reading Fluency and Comprehension. Exceptional Children 74(1), 31+.

Taylor, N. E., Wade, M. R., & Yekovich, F. R. (1985). The effects of text manipulation and multiple reading strategies on the reading performance of good and poor readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 20, 566-574. In Welsch, R. G. (2007). Using Experimental Analysis to Determine Interventions for Reading Fluency and Recalls of Students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly 30(2), 115+.

Therrien, W. J. (2004). Fluency and Comprehension Gains as a Result of Repeated Reading: A Meta-Analysis. Remedial and Special Education 25(4), 252-261.

Worthy, J., & Prater, K. (2002). “I thought about it all night”: Readers theatre for reading fluency and motivation. The Reading Teacher; 56, 294-297. In Welsch, Richard G. (2006). Increase Oral Reading Fluency. Intervention in School & Clinic 41(3). 180+.