Readers Theatre: effects on word recognition automaticity and reading prosody

Abstract

In this quasi‐experimental study, the researchers examined the effects of implementing Readers Theatre in a second grade classroom, comprised of seven and eight‐year‐old students. The 70 subjects were chosen as a non‐probability sample from two different classes and served as the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 41) groups. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant interaction and time effects. The post hoc analysis of simple effects indicated that the Readers Theatre treatment yielded larger effects on word recognition automaticity and prosody. Practical implications of this study suggest that consistent implementation of Readers Theatre in grade two classrooms can have a large impact on students' reading fluency.