Evaluating the Effectiveness of Combined Reading Interventions on Improving Oral Reading Fluency of Students with Reading Disabilities

Abstract

Introduction. In recent years, brief experimental analysis (BEA) has emerged as an approach to identify the most effective instructional strategies needed to increase reading fluency before applying an intervention for extended periods of time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding performance feedback to skill-based interventions on improving oral reading fluency of Turkish students with reading difficulties.Method. Three different combined intervention packages were implemented in the study. Intervention packages included Listening Passage Preview and Repeated Reading (LPP+RR), Repeated Reading with Performance Feedback (RR+PF), and Listening Passage Preview and Repeated Reading with Performance Feedback (LPP+RR+PF). Brief experimental analysis was used to examine the effects of the intervention packages. Four elementary students were participated in the study. Participants were three fourth grade and one third grade students.Results. Results demonstrated that two participants’ reading fluency improved as a function of the LPP+RR+PF intervention and remaining two participants had the highest scores in the LPP+RR condition.Conclusion. The results of this study extend the previous research by examining the effects of the combined intervention packages in improving reading fluency in Turkish language. Findings from the study suggest that assessing relative contribution of the strategies by using brief analysis can help determine the effective intervention packages for students in improving their reading fluency.