Determining the impact of the Corrective Reading program on the NAPLAN reading results of 'at risk' students

Abstract

The research reported in this thesis examines the impact of the Corrective Reading program on a national standardised reading comprehension test of ‘at risk’ students in Year 7 to Year 9 enrolled in a secondary school in Brisbane, Queensland. Previous studies focussing on Corrective Reading have established the positive impact on reading sub-skills, however, only a few studies have attempted to measure the effect of the program on reading comprehension assessed via standardised testing. Effective reading comprehension skills are critical for success at school and in the workforce. Yet, there are significant international findings which suggest that reading skills in Australia and many other western countries are declining which is a cause of concern for all educational stakeholders and the wider community. This concern has fuelled debate amongst academics and teachers of reading as to the most effective methods for teaching reading; the disputes on the issue have now captured the broader community through mainstream media. This study is quantitative in nature and applies a quasi-experimental methodology to compare the NAPLAN reading results of 22 students who have completed the Corrective Reading program compared to a non-randomised control group of 212 students who did not undertake Corrective Reading. Both descriptive and inferential statistics are used to analyse and discuss the impact of the program. Descriptive statistics provide a summary of the data through measures of central tendency, variability and spread. Inferential statistics test the hypothesis that participation in the program will lead to improved reading scores by calculating the effect size of the program on the NAPLAN reading results for targeted students from Year 7 to Year 9. The results of this research demonstrate that Corrective Reading does have a statistically significant positive effect on the standardised test results for reading with a degree of confidence of 95%. The effect size, or magnitude of this significance, represents a strong impact on improving the reading comprehension skills of students in Junior Secondary. This research contributes to the ongoing contention about reading intervention programs by providing a deeper understanding of the role that Direct Instruction can play in enhancing reading comprehension skills. The findings of this study provides evidence and insights that are useful to staff of the school where the study was undertaken. Other schools interested in ways to improve the reading results of their ‘at risk’ students in Junior Secondary may also find this study advantageous. School leaders may determine the discussion and reflections on the study relevant from an instructional leadership lens.