A Comparison of Independent, Interdependent, and Dependent Group Contingencies With Randomized Reinforcers to Increase Reading Fluency

Abstract

Fluency, or the rate at which a student reads, is developed in the early stages of literacy and has been shown to correlate with comprehension. A myriad of interventions have been developed to increase fluency. Group contingencies are one of these that in particular have shown some positive effects on reading fluency. Advantages to using them are that they are practical, efficient, and economical for teachers to use when monitoring a target behavior. This investigation employs an alternating treatments design to compare the effectiveness of independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingencies with randomized reinforcers on reading fluency. The results reveal moderate effects of all three contingencies on measures of reading fluency. Group contingencies are an important and increasingly popular intervention; however, the choice of which contingency to use is based on the unique aspects of the classroom.