The effects of fluency-oriented reading instruction on reading skills

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction on reading skills. The study group consisted of fifth-grade students. The quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group design was used in the present study and a twenty-week study program was carried out. In the experimental intervention process, the Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction method, which is a classroom-based approach for students at different reading levels involving the collective use of multiple reading fluency methods and applications for the whole class, was applied to the experimental group. “Error Analysis Inventory”, “Reading Prosody Rubric”and, "Reading Comprehension Test" were used as data collection tools, "Personal Information Form" was used to determine demographic features, and “Self, Peer and Group Assessment Forms” were used for the students to assess themselves and their peers. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study. While the findings obtained revealed significant differences in favor of the experimental group in the students' narrative and informative text reading speed, reading prosody and reading comprehension scores, no significant difference was found between the experimental group and the control groups in terms of word recognition levels. The findings obtained from the present study have shown that Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction, which is carried out with reader’s theater, paired reading, model reading with audiobooks and home reading, affects the reading performances of students.